ALEXANDRIA, Va. – America’s beer distributors play a critical role in facilitating responsible retailing. That was a message conveyed in a panel discussion that took place at the recent Responsible Retailing Forum in Washington, D.C. The Annual Responsible Retailing Forum investigates issues of responsible retailing at the level of store, chain, community and state.

The panel discussion, called “Responsible Retailing Systems Project,” was centered around the community roll-out of a new model of responsible retailing which was derived from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention “Report on Best Practices for Responsible Retailing.” The model, which applies “enforcement + assistance,” is currently being evaluated in Albuquerque, New Mexico and in two other pilot sites. The discussion included insight from New Mexico representatives from both the public and private sector.

Much of the discussion surrounded the distributors’ ability to reach chain as well as independent retailers when promoting responsible retailing best practices. Small retailers don’t fear that distributors will put them out of business, whereas they are often wary of government and law enforcement officials.

Dave Mosher of Maloof Distributing Company emphasized the distributor’s role in accessing the independent retailers. “When information comes down, we bring it to the weekly sales meeting,” he said. “Our salesmen then go to the decision maker at the store and make sure he has the information.”

Brad Krevor, Responsible Retailing Forum Director and a Brandeis University professor also touted distributor involvement by highlighting what he had learned at the previous year’s Forum. Referring to testimony given by Tammy Maloof, President of Joe G. Maloof Co.-Santa Fe and member of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) Board of Directors, he said, “At our Forum last year in Santa Fe, Tammy Maloof outlined the company’s responsibility efforts and their contributions to various community organizations. I realized then that the distributor’s motive to work on these issues is that they are committed to giving back to their community.”

NBWA and its members provide numerous materials to help retailers practice responsible retailing. Beer distributors also sponsor a variety of programs to fight underage drinking, including public service announcements, publications that help parents talk to their children about not drinking, educational speakers in schools that encourage students to stand up to peer pressure, and alcohol-free prom and graduation parties. These efforts, along with those of teachers, parents and community leaders, have contributed to the steady decline of underage drinking over the past twenty years.