The Dutch foundation for alcohol prevention, STAP, wants Dutch supermarkets to stop selling crates of beer at bargain prices. The foundation is concerned that the low prices encourage excessive drinking, especially at a time of year when young people are celebrating their exam results.

STAP has sent Dutch brewer Heineken a letter asking them to put an end to the low prices. The letter was also sent to the headquarters of Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

The organisation says a recent Heineken advert which encouraged parents to take responsibility for their teenage children’s drinking was outweighed by supermarket special offers on beer which came only three days later. STAP is calling for a minimum price for beer and wants the market leader to withdraw its product from the supermarkets that choose to sell the beer at excessively low prices.

Heineken claims it has no influence on the low prices in supermarkets. Supermarket chain Albert Heijn has not yet responded to the letter.

Last week Heineken beer was on offer at a 'guaranteed lowest price' at Albert Heijn. If customers could find the product cheaper somewhere else, they could claim their money back. A crate of Heineken beer initially cost 8.29 euros, but when other Dutch supermarkets started selling it for 6.99 euros Albert Heijn was forced to give out hundreds of free beer crates to watchful beer consumers. It was then forced to lower its prices.

A crate of Heineken beer contains 24 bottles and normally costs between 11 and 12 euros at Albert Heijn which means one bottle costs about 50 eurocents, with discount only 29 eurocents. In bars in The Netherlands, where the legal drinking age is 16, a glass of beer in a bar costs about two euros, four times as much as in the supermarkets.