cares labeling
The European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) is delighted the European Commission has left the way clear for alcohol product labelling in Europe respecting the public’s right to know about alcohol harm, having raised no objections to Ireland’s plans.
Eurocare, with support from The Lancet, is organising a high-level conference at the European Parliament in Brussels (room SPAAK 7C50, BRU) on the 27th of June 2023, 13.30 - 18.00 CEST. The event is hosted by MEP Nicolás Gonzalez Casares and the themes of the conference are the commercial determinants of health, alcohol labelling & health warnings and conflict of interest.
A major alliance of European civil society leaders has written to senior EC officials and Commissioners to urge the bloc to respect citizens’ alcohol health information rights in a timely way.
The call was made in an open letter to senior EU figures with 68 signatures from civil society leaders from across Europe, coordinated by the European Alcohol Health Policy Alliance (Eurocare).
Food safety Ministers in Australia and New Zealand have listened to the community and put the health and safety of families first by agreeing to introduce an effective mandatory health warning on alcohol products. Ministers have agreed to the recommendation of Food Standards Australia New Zealand which is a red, black and white warning, with the signal wording ‘pregnancy warning’.
Eurocare welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Food labelling – revision of rules on information provided to consumers. Given Eurocare’s profile, comments will be given to areas in which it possesses expertise, mainly prevention and reduction of alcohol related harm.
A real-life alcohol labelling intervention study was implemented in Yukon, Canada to test the impact of labels on consumer awareness of alcohol-related health harms such as cancer and drinking behaviours. Conducted among a sample of drinkers in two jurisdictions with the highest per capita alcohol consumption and cost due to alcohol-related harm in Canada, this study examined whether increases in individual-level knowledge that alcohol is a carcinogen following an alcohol labelling intervention are associated with support for alcohol policies.
An amendment to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code was adopted, requiring a pregnancy warning label on all alcohol sold in Australia and New Zealand. Despite the alcohol sector claiming that they are supportive of measures to reduce the harm caused by alcohol, they are pushing back and calling on state and federal ministers to veto the plan.
spiritsEUROPE, the trade association representing the producers of spirits in Europe, has unveiled a so-called new one-stop-shop web portal that provides consumers with easy access to detailed information on all spirit drinks legally sold in the EU.
Sorry, this is not good enough.
European Alcohol Policy Alliance regrets that the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee in the European Parliament has failed today to ensure that labelling for wine follows requirements set out in Reg. (EU) 1169/2011, on provision of food information to consumers.
Industry self-regulatory proposal regarding alcohol labelling will mainly compose of off-label suggestions. The alcohol industry is proposing QR codes, bar codes, web links or other online options. Putting it simply everything to avoid providing information to consumers at the point of sale in easily accessible manner to which consumers are already accustomed.
64% of the Finns that use alcohol feel that the labels and packaging of alcoholic beverages should contain similar product information as in foodstuffs, according to Kantar TNS’ survey commissioned by EHYT. The survey studied Finns’ opinions on the labelling of alcoholic beverages.
Report from the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) found that alcohol producers in the UK are failing to communicate drinking guidelines. Can the industry deliver then at the European level? They have 6 months left to propose industry wide alcohol labelling arrangement to the European Commission (due March 2018).
