Better labels win support from forum

One of the many initiatives to be discussed by members of the European Alcohol and Health Forum is the possibility of designing new health labels for alcoholic drinks.

Interest groups on all sides of the debate think that it is one of the initiatives most likely to win wide support, with industry groups already having signed up to some national labelling schemes and information campaigns.

The first new warnings have started to appear on French bottles, which are now legally obliged to show a crossed-out drawing of a pregnant woman drinking. The UK government last month also agreed on a new health label, without a picture but with more advice. The label shows how many units of alcohol are contained in the drink bought, the recommended daily alcohol limits for men and women, and advice to "avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive".

The UK label is a voluntary scheme, to be in use late next year. It has won support from groups including the British Retail Consortium, which says that it will ensure that supermarket own-brand alcohol carries the label.

The push for total abstinence during pregnancy has, however, been criticised by the UK National Childbirth Trust and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Both groups said that earlier government advice - to avoid drinking more than four units of alcohol a week while pregnant - was more suitable.

The UK labels will point to a website giving detailed drinking advice.

Drinkaware.co.uk will be the first EU government-approved health website to appear on alcohol bottles. It sets out the recommended drinking limits for different groups, helps drinkers to work out how many units of alcohol they regularly swallow and explains the science of drunkenness and hangovers.

Drinkaware also details the physical effects of drinking, including weight gain, bad breath and dry skin.

Finland and Poland have both notified the European Commission that they plan to draw up new alcohol-labelling laws but details are still being debated by the national governments. The Commission has stressed that member states are free to tackle alcohol abuse as they see fit, but Commission approval is needed to ensure that health labels do not pose a barrier to internal trade.

Markos Kyprianou, the European commissioner for health, has warned against basing alcohol health advice on on anti-smoking campaigns. "Tobacco is bad, period," the commissioner explained last year. "Alcohol is a question of excessive abuse. In small, moderate amounts it can even be beneficial for health."

One of the many initiatives to be discussed by members of the European Alcohol and Health Forum is the possibility of designing new health labels for alcoholic drinks.