MORE than 70% of alcohol labels do not include the drinking guidelines that were updated more than three years ago, according to new research.
The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) examined labels on 424 products in supermarkets and a newsagent in locations across Scotland, Wales, London, and the south-east and north-east of England.
As well as missing out on drinking guidelines, the research also found more than half of labels (56%) included no nutritional information, 37% of labels only listed a container’s calorie content while just 7% showed full nutritional content.
Nearly a quarter (24%) displayed misleading, out-of-date health information, such as the old UK guidelines or those from other countries.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, AHA chairman, said: “Alcohol labelling in this country is woefully inadequate and not fit for purpose if we wish to build a healthier society.
“It is disappointing but telling that members of the Portman Group, the body purporting to promote ‘best practice’ on labelling of alcohol products, are the least likely to display basic health information.
“The public must be granted the power to make informed decisions about their health by having access to prominent health warnings and information on ingredients, nutrition and alcohol content at the point of purchase.
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“The industry’s reluctance to include this information on their products suggests profits are being put ahead of people’s health.”
The research also described health information as “often illegible”, with the average height of text about alcohol measuring 2mm when 3.5mm is required to be easily readable.
Meanwhile it also suggests members of the Portman Group, a social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, were least likely (2%) to include the correct low-risk drinking guidelines.
However the group’s chief executive John Timothy said: “This report is utter nonsense, based on out-of-date information and the typical anti-alcohol ideology of the AHA who can’t stand the fact that the moderate majority can sensibly enjoy a drink and stick within the 14-unit guidance.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to improved alcohol labelling so consumers have the information they need to make informed purchase decisions.”
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