Sensible Drinking Advice On Alcohol Bottles

By the end of 2008 the Government expects all alcoholic drinks labels to include alcohol unit information, following a ground-breaking agreement between Government and the drinks industry.

Most people are aware of units as a measure of alcohol consumption, (86 per cent) and many are aware of the recommended daily guidelines (69 per cent) but only 13 per cent keep a check on the number of units they drink. In the UK, 75 per cent of people support labelling.

Labels with unit information will help people keep an eye on how much they are drinking, allowing them to monitor their alcohol intake more easily. The labelling information will be supported by a major cross-Government campaign on alcohol from 2008, a large part of which will be about raising unit awareness.

Labels will include:

The drink's unit content and the recommended Government safe drinking guidelines
UK Health Departments recommend men do not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and women 2-3 units daily.

In addition, the Government is also encouraging the alcohol industry to include sensible drinking information for pregnant women on labels. Avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive is the shortened form of the Government advice announced on 25 May.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said;

"This landmark, voluntary agreement will help people calculate, at a glance, how much they are drinking and whether they are staying within sensible drinking guidelines. We want to make it as simple as possible for people to keep an eye on how much they are drinking and help them take the responsibility for lessening the impact excess alcohol can have on their health. Although most spirits and beer labels for sale in the UK market and many supermarkets' own brands of beers, wines and spirits, do carry some information on unit content people can miscalculate and lose track of how much they are drinking. Unit information combined with sensible drinking guidelines on the new labels will make it simpler for people to calculate how many units they are drinking and make easier for them to stick to the recommended limits."

British Retail Consortium Director General Kevin Hawkins, said:

"This is yet another practical demonstration of retailers' responsible attitude to selling alcohol. They have been actively involved in the development of this label and the concise and simple way it sets out information gives consumers an easy way to make informed decisions about how they enjoy alcohol. The BRC and its members will continue to look at
new ways to promote healthy lifestyles."

Pssst - healthy drinking advice website

Source: GNN

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