The Pantry Inc., operating as Kangaroo Express and Anheuser-Busch and its local distributors have teamed up on a new campaign to help fight underage drinking sales to minors in the Pantry’s 448 stores in Florida.

 

The program is called “We I.D.,” and builds on current efforts by The Pantry to restrict underage alcohol sales through enhanced employee training and various point-of-sale reminders throughout stores. The companies announced the campaign on Thursday, May 28, at a press conference, adding that the campaign is part of a larger effort by The Pantry to implement the We I.D. program in each of its 1,650 stores across the Southeast.

 

“Our customers and the community come first at The Pantry,” said Brad Williams, The Pantry’s senior vice president of field operations. “By working together with Anheuser-Busch and its local distributors to further train our employees and provide them with I.D.-checking materials, we help protect teens and make the community safer.”

 

We I.D. is Anheuser-Busch’s comprehensive underage-drinking prevention program used by retailers to remind customers who purchase alcohol beverages that they will be asked to show valid identification. Program elements include: We I.D. posters and signage on coolers, driver’s license guides to help employees verify I.D.s, and clocks that also show the date of legal age required to purchase alcohol beverages. A key component of the program is the enhanced training The Pantry employees receive from instructional videos and on-site reference materials about checking and verifying valid I.D.s.

 

“We’re proud to support The Pantry with its ongoing commitment to abide by the law and help keep our communities safe,” said Carol Clark, Anheuser-Busch’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “This We I.D. effort complements and reinforces the progress that’s been made in preventing underage drinking among Florida’s youth.”

 

According to the federal government’s most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 84% of adolescents, ages 12 to 17, do not drink. In Florida, that number is 83%. In addition, the federally funded University of Michigan Monitoring the Future study shows that past-month drinking among high-school seniors is at its lowest level since tracking began in 1975.

 

The 30 Anheuser-Busch distributors in Florida are supporting the We I.D. program with The Pantry. “We’re pleased to lend our support to Anheuser-Busch, its distributors and The Pantry on this important initiative aimed at preventing youth access to alcohol and helping keep teens and everyone in our communities safe,” said Gainesville Police Lieutenant Keith Kameg. “By working together in our communities, we can truly make a difference.” 

 

Source: PR Newswire