Sugary alcoholic drinks should be taxed, say experts

PRE-MIXED ALCOHOLIC drinks sold in shops and supermarkets contain as much as eight or nine teaspoons of sugar, researchers say.

The drinks – such as a double shot of vodka mixed with cola or fruit-flavoured alcopops – have increased in popularity in recent years and are often sold in single bottles or 250ml cans.

Now, experts from Action on Sugar are calling for the drinks to be subject to the Government’s “sugar tax” which has been imposed on soft drinks.

The sugar tax came into force in 2018 and has led to an average 28.8 per cent reduction in sugar per 100ml of soft drink.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, backed the call from Action on Sugar, saying: “Consumers have the right to know exactly what they are drinking.

“This latest research demonstrates – once again – that the current system of the self-regulation of alcohol labelling isn’t working and the industry is not taking its responsibilities seriously.

“Shoppers who buy alcohol get less information about what’s in their drink than those who buy milk or orange juice. This is simply outrageous.

“We urge the Government to introduce mandatory labelling on alcohol products in order to give all of us easy access to the information needed to make healthier choices.”

The Action on Sugar research of 154 “ready to drink” alcoholic drinks found most were high in hidden sugar and calories.

It found only 63 products had some form of nutritional information on the pack and only 14 had sugar information on the pack.

Some drinks had as much as 33g of sugar (eight teaspoons) in a 250ml can, while a frozen alcoholic sorbet had 36g (nine teaspoons) per 250ml serving. Katharine Jenner, inset, campaign director at Action on Sugar, said: “’Gin in a tin’ has become a cultural phenomenon with these types of drinks often consumed ‘on the go’ and without a moment’s consideration to how much sugar and alcohol goes into making them.”

Graham MacGregor, the chairman of Action on Sugar, said: “Sugary alcoholic drinks are a double burden on our health: alcohol causes serious harm, and sugar in these drinks carries the same health risks as sugar in any other food or drink, which costs the NHS billions and shortens lives.”