Trade to challenge drinking guidelines

The British drinks trade is preparing to hit back at the government’s new drinking guidelines.

(Photo: Wiki)

Leading industry figures will this week come out to criticise the latest advise to drinkers, which says they should limit consumption to just 14 units a week.

Opponents of the guidelines, unveiled by the government’s chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies in January, have already pointed to its over-strictness.

They say that the lowering of consumption limits to the equivalent of just five pints of beer a week is too strict for the public to take any notice, which could have the inverse effect of raising alcohol consumption.

But the latest criticism is expected to pick apart the scientific basis of the new guidance.

This week marks the end of a public consultation on the new guidance, after which strong condemnation is expected to come from some of the industry’s leading figures.

A leading drinks producer told The Mail on Sunday that it would be sending a firm response saying that the new limits “contradict decades of scientific findings.”

The Portman Group, which represents the UK’s biggest drinks companies, also said it would weigh in with a response.

Citing the threat of confusion posed by the new lower limits, it said: “Guidelines are vital because they help people to make informed choices and we are concerned that these proposed guidelines are confusing because they are not clear about the relative risks of sensible drinking for men and women.”

The government’s consultation on the new drinking guidelines comes on Friday.