|
Warning labels for UK booze
28/05/2007 11:16 - (SA)
London - Labels on all alcoholic drinks in Britain are to carry health warnings by the end of next year, the government announced on Monday.
Under an agreement between the government and the drinks
industry, the new labels will include details on how many
alcoholic units each drink contains and the recommended safe
drinking levels for men and women.
Binge drinking, consuming 10 or more units in one session
for men and seven or more for women, is a major public health
concern in Britain. More than 7.1 million English people are
hazardous or harmful drinkers, according to official figures.
"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," said
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint.
"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."
Public backs new labels
Although most people were aware of recommended daily
guidelines, only 13% kept a check on the number of units
they drank, the government said. It said 75% of the
public backed the new labels.
The Department of Health said it also wanted the labelling
to include recommendations for pregnant women. Last Friday, it
issued new advice advising pregnant women and those trying to
conceive to drink no alcohol at all.
Britain's health departments recommend men do not regularly
exceed three to four units daily and women two to three units daily.
A unit of alcohol is 10 ml of pure alcohol which means that
a pint of ordinary strength lager or a 175 ml glass of red or
white wine each contain two units of alcohol.
"This is yet another practical demonstration of retailers'
responsible attitude to selling alcohol," said British Retail
Consortium Director General Kevin Hawkins.
"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."
|
News
