Industry at odds with government over labels

The UK government has rounded on drinks companies for not adhering to a voluntary agreement on alcohol labelling, leading to plans for a mandatory scheme which would see all alcoholic drinks carry a health warning.

According to a government report published today, only 15% of drinks sold in the UK give drinkers enough information on units and the harm drinking does to your health.

The government report, compiled by Campden, says that drinks companies are failing to fulfil their duties as laid out in a voluntary agreement signed in 2007, in which the industry agreed to display five key pieces of information on labels: unit information, pregnancy advice, a responsible drinking reminder, a logo and link for Drink Aware and the guideline unit limits recommended by the NHS.

The government will now consult on whether it is necessary to bring in a mandatory code for alcohol labelling which would force all drinks companies to carry the required information on their labels in cigarette-style warnings.

“Despite responsible efforts from some brands such as Bulmers, Fosters, Kronenbourg and the major supermarkets, overall progress on labelling is very disappointing,” said public health minister Gillian Merron.

“Whilst there should be no need to bring in legislation when the industry can clearly sort it out themselves, we will not hesitate to act decisively if the industry does not deliver.

“I expect to see much more leadership from more of the major producers. We know that too many are drinking at harmful levels and producers should play their part in helping to stem this tide by ensuring we all have access to clear and consistent health information on labels.”

Health secretary Andy Burnham added: “We have now received assurances to comply from most of the major manufacturers and retailers.

“I invite industry as a whole to deliver on these assurances, and look forward to finding a way to make this happen during the consultation.”

WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles urged the trade to act swiftly before further mandatory legislation is imposed.

"There is no doubt that the figures from the Campden survey are disappointing but they are also rather surprising given our own research conducted more recently,” he said.

"We have analysed three times as many products at two major supermarket outlets and they show significantly higher levels of compliance with all five elements of the labelling scheme.

"What’s more in the last few months several major companies have signed up to the voluntary scheme. We urge all companies in the sector to do this voluntarily. It is clearly in their interests to do this rather than face further labelling legislation.”

The British Retail Consortium also voiced surprise at the findings of the Campden study, saying that most retailers already adhere to the voluntary code.

BRC food director Andrew Opie said: “Retailers are responsible. They don’t need to be told to do this. From the very start retailers recognised the importance of unit labelling to encouraging responsible drinking.

“We were the first to get involved with the Government on this and we were actively involved in developing the label as a concise, easy way to give customers information that helps them make informed decisions.

“While owners of some of the big name brands have dragged their feet, supermarkets have set the pace and now have unit labels on virtually all their own brand alcohol.

“They deserve full credit. What we now need is consistency and the same level of commitment from all parts of the drinks industry.

“Retailers are the most responsible sellers of alcohol. They’re also pioneering initiatives such as Challenge 25 and funding Drinkaware – further evidence of their commitment to changing the culture around alcohol in the UK.”

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), feels the industry is already doing more than enough to satisfy the demands of the voluntary code.

She said: “Our industry is delivering good and growing levels of information on labels to help people make more informed choices about their drinking behaviour.

“The positive and continuing progress made, not only shows the merits of the voluntary approach, but demonstrates why Government should continue to back the voluntary approach as the best way of achieving their objective of better information for consumers.”

Alan Lodge, 15.02.2010