New report on alcohol labelling

A new report from Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) and Alcohol Focus Scotland has shown that consumers are not given clear information about what is in their drink – or about the health risks associated with drinking alcohol.

Alcohol is linked to more than 200 health conditions, including causing seven types of common cancer. However, there is no legal requirement to display drinking guidelines, health warnings, ingredients, or calorie content on alcohol even though this information must by law appear on other drink products.

We strongly believe that alcohol labelling should be mandatory so that everyone can make informed decisions about their health.

The report – ‘A Clear Way Forward: The Case for Better Alcohol Labelling‘ – provides a comprehensive audit of alcohol labels in the UK. It found:

• One in five products failed to include the minimum information recommended by the alcohol industry’s own voluntary guidelines.
• One in four products did not include units per serving.
• Only 6.7% products carried any health warning with just 1.3% including warnings about cancer or liver disease.
• Only 13.4% of products provided full nutritional information.

ADPH is one of more than 60 non-governmental organisations in the AHA – we work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.