Are You A Binge Drinker? BMA Scotland Calls For Compulsory Labelling Of Alcoholic Drinks

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 03 Oct 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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BMA Scotland today (Friday 3 October 2008) called on the Government to legislate for the introduction of compulsory labelling on all alcoholic products to help people understand and manage their drinking habits. The call comes in light of Scotland's Alcohol Awareness Week (5 - 11 October 2007).

Because of a lack of consistent advice and information on alcohol content and what constitutes a recommended unit, people are confused as to the amount of alcohol they actually drink. Recent research has shown that the drinks industry is flouting the current voluntary code on labelling with 43% of products containing no information and only 3% providing all the information required [1]

The BMA believes that compulsory standards for labelling alcoholic beverage containers that provide guidance on recommended drinking guidelines would enable people to make informed choices on alcohol.

The Scottish Government should no longer accept this failure by the industry to adhere to voluntary measures and should legislate to ensure consistent information is available to consumers to help tackle alcohol misuse.

Dr Peter Terry, Chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: "We should all use Alcohol Awareness Week to think about the amount of alcohol we drink. Binge drinking and alcohol misuse can create serious problems, not just for the person drinking too much but for their family and friends.

"Unfortunately, many people are confused as to how much alcohol is in each drink. This can lead to binge drinking or regularly drinking over and above the recommended allowance, which brings with it a host of social, psychological and physical problems. The drinks industry agreed to a voluntary code to label drinks with their alcohol content in 1998. Yet, ten years on, it is not working and it is time for Government to take tough action.

"Legislation is the only way forward. Labelling on alcohol content and units along with clear guidelines on the daily drinking limits would help people to better understand their own drinking habits and encourage them to make informed choices, rather than being tempted with confusing measures and marketing ploys. We are disappointed that standardised labelling has not been included in the Scottish Government's plans to tackle Scotland's drinking problem, and only hope that this oversight will be revised."

In a survey of Scottish doctors, more than eight out of 10 doctors believe that alcoholic drinks manufacturers should be compelled to clearly label their products with the number of alcohol units.

The BMA believes that there should be a legal requirement for all containers of alcohol offered for sale and advertisements to carry a prominent common standard label which clearly outlines the alcohol content in terms of units, information on the maximum recommended daily level of alcohol consumption, and a warning of the dangers of excessive drinking. This information should also be readily available from retailers at the point of sale, and in all printed and electronic alcohol advertisements.

Dr Terry added: "It is the responsibility of the drinks industry, both producers and retailers, to ensure that their customers are fully aware of the alcoholic content of the beverages they purchase and the potential harmful consequences of excess consumption."

Notes

- In September 2008, BMA Scotland responded to the Scottish Government's proposed strategy to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland. This is available here.

- More information about alcohol awareness week is available at: http://www.alcoholawarenessweek.com/

- Binge drinking is usually used to refer to heavy drinking over an evening or similar short time span - sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. It is a problem that affects people of all ages.

- Binge drinking and severe intoxication can cause muscular incoordination, blurred vision, stupor, hypothermia, convulsions, depressed reflexes, respiratory depression, hypotension and coma. Death can occur from respiratory or circulatory failure or if binge drinkers inhale their own vomit. As well as the detrimental impact binge drinking has on the nation's health, there are wider societal implications. It can result in people being more likely to undertake risky behaviour, such as having unprotected sex, criminal and antisocial activity and violence (including domestic violence). There are also economic impacts through the loss of productivity and working days.

BMA Scotland recently published an action plan to tackle alcohol misuse. Recommendations include:

- Legislate for alcohol labelling rather than relying on voluntary agreements with the drinks industry.

- End deep discounting of alcohol for sale in off licences, supermarkets and other off sales outlets.

- Undertake research into the measures by which pricing mechanisms can be used in Scotland to discourage heavy consumption of high alcohol products.

- End alcohol producers' sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events with a young target audience.

- Reduce the drink driving limit from 80mg to 50mg and introduce random breath testing in Scotland.

Reference
'Drinks industry flouting voluntary code'. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/23/drugsandalcohol.health KPMG survey] Wednesday 23 July 2008.

BMA Scotland
14 Queen Street
Edinburgh
EH2 1LL
http://www.bma.org.uk/scotland