A UK government proposal on alcohol advertising restrictions has been shelved, though it has laid out plans to bring in “mandatory” nutritional and health warning labels.
Last week, the government said it could be assessing “partial restrictions” of alcohol advertising that could be closer to regulations in place for junk food in the country.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said at the time the 10 Year Health Plan would “not include a ban on alcohol advertising”, but that the government was “exploring options for partial restrictions to bring it closer in line with the advertising of unhealthy food.”
In its 10 Year Health Plan, published today (3 July) however, a pre-watershed style ban, similar to that in place for foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), was not mentioned.
Instead, the government said it was setting out to “tackle harmful alcohol consumption” with “new standards for alcohol labelling”.
It added it would “strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages”.
Having obligatory labelling would bring labelling on alcoholic goods “in line” with the labelling used on tobacco, food and alcohol-free drinks products, it said.
“This will ensure greater public awareness of the health risks of alcohol consumption and help consumers make more informed, healthier choices.”
Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), said the trade body welcomed the move.
“The drinks industry already supports the UK’s highly successful voluntary labelling scheme and is keen to work closely with Government on this agenda.
“Industry has a strong record in providing important information for consumers to make healthy choices. Many wine and spirit products already carry calorie information on labels and the majority show units of alcohol, as well as the CMO guidelines.
“Working together we must drive innovation and learn from others to do more – for example by harnessing digital technology to access product information via QR codes – allowing consumers to make better choices.”
In 2023, the Republic of Ireland passed legislation which requires alcoholic products to show detailed health warnings on labels. The law is set to come into force in May next year.
Commenting on the latest 10 Year Health Plan, Matt Lambert, chief executive of the UK alcohol regulator Portman Group, said: “We do not believe there is a case for wider health warning labels which may be disproportionate when overall alcohol consumption is falling and the majority of people already drink within the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidance.
