Over the years, we at CAAN have had our issues with various alcohol flavoured products –biscuits, ice creams, flavoured milk and fudge, to name a few.

However this product surely takes the cake (that’s if you’re not putting it ON your cake).

“Introducing Whipped Lightning, the world’s first alcohol-infused whipped cream. A tasty topping that can dress up any drink. Try it on shots & shooters, cocktails, martinis, coffees, or frozen beverages as well as spicing up your favorite desserts.”

The alcohol-infused whipped cream packs a pretty hefty punch, containing 18% alcohol. However, if you ferret around in the website’s FAQs they state that it’s an alcoholic beverage – never mind that whipped cream is clearly not a beverage.

Not quite the “tasty topping” they make it out to be.

Alcohol and cream? Come on. Why provide a link between alcohol and a product where theoretically, no link really exists? These products only serve to normalize alcohol.

Fortunately for us, Whipped Lightening is only available in a United State near you. Regardless, it’s time we stopped selling these items.

How would you feel about your kids topping up their sundaes with this allegedly not so tasty treat? Email CAAN.

Until next week,

Sarah Jaggard,
Community Mobilisation Policy Officer
 

On Vanguard Luxury Brands’ website: “Vanguard Luxury Brands is dedicated to independent, professional and responsible marketing of a hand-picked selection of the world's finest liquor brands."

This from The Shout: Vanguard Luxury Brands is proud to announce another new brand to its stable of premium spirits and liqueurs…a new high land tequila…with (marketing) slogans like ‘Tequila makes you smarter.’”

More like tequila makes you forget what you stand for.

O Week can be a challenging time: moving out of home for the first time, even moving towns or cities, losing day-to-day contact with friends and trying to meet new ones. Even looking for new opportunities and experiences on campus by joining clubs, projects and participating in the Arts. And then there's the drinking...

Headspace, Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation, followed a group of bloggers as they experience O Week. Follow their trials, tribulations, ups, downs, lefts and rights.

It’s interesting to see how the bloggers navigate alcohol consumption, traditionally a big part of O Week.

You can read their blogs here.

Blind drunk children spark health warnings
The West Australian, 22 February 2011
WA ambulances are being called to treat almost one child or teenager a day for alcohol intoxication, alarming new figures reveal. St John Ambulance Service patient records show there were 2282 call-outs in 2009-10 for the primary reason of alcohol intoxication, 352 of them in people aged 18 or younger.

Defence points finger at binge drinking
Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 2011
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said a report by former NSW judge Roger Gyles concluded that most of the incidents of misconduct involving sailors from HMAS Success had their genesis in misuse of alcohol.

Our bender gets bigger
NT News, 24 February 2011
Latest figures show that alcohol consumption continues to rise in the Territory.
This is depressing. The federal and Territory governments have spent millions of dollars on programs to combat excessive drinking.

Sex, drugs, alcohol abuse beset Success
The Courier-Mail, 24 February 2011
A $3.2 million inquiry into sexual misconduct and drug and alcohol abuse on the navy ship HMAS Success has failed to recommend any disciplinary action. The 12-month, taxpayer-funded inquiry examined the bullies, drunks and predators who operated under a fierce tribal culture on board the ship.

Riding a gravy train that runs on Aboriginal misery
The Australian, 25 February 2011
Ignorant outsiders are not helping to end the spiral of drunkenness in Alice Springs. Many people live on the gravy train that runs on Aboriginal suffering. And there is no shortage of suffering. We are up to our necks, swimming in misery.

NT intervention stagnant, just another failed plan
The Australian, 26 February 2011
Architect of the controversial Northern Territory intervention Mal Brough has declared the radical policy he masterminded to end a crisis in Aboriginal Australia a comprehensive failure, amid escalating violence and dysfunction in Alice Springs.