Health police want calorie warnings on your G&T
ALCOHOLIC drinks should have their calorie content on the label, health campaigners say.
The Alcohol Health Alliance and Alcohol Focus Scotland are calling for changes to labelling laws so that the calories in drinks are clearly shown.
It follows a YouGov poll that found only a quarter of people surveyed correctly estimated there are between 120 and 359 calories in a pint of lager, while 22 per cent knew there are 67-200 calories in a medium glass of wine.
The law currently requires alcoholic products to show the strength of alcohol, the volume of the drink and any allergens. Ingredients, nutritional information and health risks are optional.
The UK Government is planning a consultation on alcohol labelling, and the Alcohol Health Alliance is calling for more information to be mandatory on labels.
Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the coalition of health and alcohol groups, said: ‘Alcohol labelling in this country is failing to inform consumers about what exactly their drink contains.
‘Displaying basic product information, such as calorie content, empowers the consumer to make informed choices about what, and how much, they decide to drink.
‘This information should be displayed clearly. They should not have to research basic health information online.’
Professor Gilmore said the forthcoming UK consultation on calorie labelling was ‘a great opportunity for change’.
He added: ‘Requiring the display of calorie content on alcoholic drinks would bring alcohol labelling in line with food and soft drink labelling.’
Alison Douglas, chief executive of charity Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: ‘Is it any surprise that so few Scots know the calorie content of drinks... when this information is not routinely provided by alcohol producers?’
She added: ‘It is unacceptable that a product linked to ten deaths a day in Scotland continues to be exempt from laws on labelling that apply to everything else we eat and drink.
‘Unless labelling requirements are set out in law, we will continue to be kept in the dark about what is in our drinks and what the health risks are.’