Sherri Fenton, managing owner, Black Star Farms, left, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO | Black Star Farms / World Health Organization
Sherri Fenton, managing owner, Black Star Farms, left, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO | Black Star Farms / World Health Organization
Sherri Fenton, managing owner of Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, said if dietary guidelines were changed to recommend “no safe level” of alcohol consumption, the local economy in northern Michigan would suffer.
"For three decades, my family has been growing grapes and producing fine wine, while also employing nearly 100 people annually in Grand Traverse and Leelanau County," Fenton wrote in an op-ed on the Detroit News. "Now, those at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are considering implementing this “no safe level” philosophy into next year’s U.S. Dietary Guidelines."
"To be clear, I agree the negative effects of excessive and irresponsible alcohol consumption are not up for debate," she wrote. "However, suggesting that any level of drinking for anyone, however responsible or low, is harmful and overreaching for the millions of Americans who enjoy drinking in moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle."
The USDA and HHS have plans to conduct a review on alcohol use, which would impact their suggestions for the federal guidelines on alcohol consumption. In August, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States sent a letter to the agencies to inquire about the goals of the review, according to Wine Spectator.
The HHS's current guidelines for alcohol consumption are one or fewer drinks per day for women, and two or fewer drinks per day for men.
A recent study by Wine American reported that Michigan is home to 196 wine producers who work on 1,448 acres of vineyards. The state's industry supported 46,769 total jobs in 2022. The winery industry also generated $6.33 billion in the same year.
"It is also the seventh largest wine producing state in the nation, with Northwest Lower Michigan growing 60% of grapes needed," Fenton wrote in her article.
The World Health Organization (WHO) led an initiative in 2019, called A World Free from Alcohol-Related Harms (SAFER), which aimed to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by 10% by 2025. WHO released a statement in January of 2023 saying there was "no safe amount that does not affect health" in regards to alcohol consumption.
A June 2024 study from WHO announced that between 2010 and 2019, there was a 20% decrease world wide in alcohol related deaths.
Black Star Farms, located in Suttons Bay, is a 160 acre winery and farm located outside Traverse City. The property, which has been in operation since 1998, also has a 10-room inn and hosts tours, weddings, events, and local workshops.
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