Objective

To ensure compliance with the law on selling and serving alcoholic beverages.

To educate and raise awareness of the HoReCa sector that it is forbidden to sell and serve alcohol to underage people (under 18’s)

To reduce alcohol-related harm at national level while focusing on activities that will help to eliminate underage alcohol consumption

Description

According to data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) for 2019, alcohol consumption remains a highly prevalent behaviour among adolescents in Croatia.  Underage drinking is higher than the average across Europe with 90% of adolescents having tried alcohol at least once in their life.  Also, Croatians try their first drink very young; 40% had tried their first alcoholic beverage by 13 or younger and every third teenager (15 years old) drinks alcohol once a week. Such prevalence of underage consumption makes a strong case for the programme, which will address this problem by educating on-trade personnel about responsible serving.

The programme is designed to provide practical assistance to on-trade personnel and help them achieve a more responsible approach in respect of the legal purchase age.  It was initially conceived to include on-site interactive workshops; training of sales representatives and support materials including.  However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the programme was first put on hold and then adapted to include only online training.

The online training was developed in cooperation with Algebra, the largest private educational organisation in Croatia.  It can be accessed directly on the Algebra platform.  The 20-minute training focuses on the importance of responsible drinking and preventing underage alcohol consumption. It covers issues such as compliance with the law (e.g. legal age limits for serving and selling of alcoholic beverages, and the consequences of violating it), the responsibility of sales staff and responsible consumption (offers tips for checking customers age and advice in dealing with difficult situations).  At the end of the training, participants can download a certificate of completion, which they are encouraged to display at their workplace.  Establishments that access and complete the training are highlighted in media articles to promote the project.

Originally planned for launch in 2020, delays meant that it was run between September and December 2022 before ending. 

Partners

Hrvatska obrtnička komora (Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts)

HUP Udruga ugostiteljstva i turizma (Association for HoReCa and Tourism within HUP – Croatian Employers’ Association)

Hrvatska udruga turizma (Croatian tourism Association)

Results

2022: Initially, the project was intended to reach HoReCa establishments in four Croatian cities, however establishments in 12 cities received training (Brod, Dubrovnik, Krk-Baška, Opatija, Osijek, Rijeka, Šibenik, Sinj, Slavonski, Split, Vukovar, Zadar and Zagreb).  41 HoReCa establishments completed the training. 8 PR articles reached around 20,000 people.  2 native articles reached around 35,500 people. 

Some companies provided positive feedback regarding the training, for example, the Hilton hotel chain praised it and asked if they could include it among the standard trainings that they offer to their employees.

2020: The roll-out of the programme was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The first two workshops that were due to take place on 19 and 31 March 2020 had to be cancelled. 

Measurement & evaluation

Initial feedback from political stakeholders such as with officials from Ministry of agriculture and Ministry of finance has been positive.

A pilot survey was carried out among HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) professionals at the annual congress organised by HOK in November 2019.  It was designed to find out the level of knowledge of the legal obligations of the personnel when it comes to serving alcohol to minors and current practice. The data from the survey was used in the preparation of the e-course.

From 100 valid responses, the survey found that:

• Almost 50% believed that beer and wine are less harmful than spirits.
• 98% are aware of the legal alcohol serving and selling limit.
• 78% felt properly informed about the provisions of the Hospitality Service Act defining serving alcohol to minors.
• 78% follow all of the provisions of the law.
• 65% display a sign about the prohibition of serving alcohol to minors.  Almost 90% said the signs are prominently displayed.
• Almost 50% display taxi numbers and public transport schedules.
• 48% confirmed that they conduct training for their personnel about the responsible serving of alcohol beverages before they start working but only 40% arranged regular staff training.
• 51% were confident that their staff could identify drunk people and minors.
• 67% don’t serve alcohol to minors. 80% don’t serve alcohol to drunk persons but 18% serve beer and wine to them.
• 75% don’t drink while working but for those that do, they drink wine (13%) followed by beer (9%).

Website

https://elearning.algebra.hr/login/signup.php

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