Evaluation of the UK Voluntary Labelling

Agreement

Don Shenker

Chief Executive

What’s Labelling For?

• Provides warning when pregnant or trying to conceive

• Alerts consumers to unit info • Provides info on safe drinking • Provides info on other health risk

UK Voluntary Agreement

• Drinks industry agreed to label UK unit info on all products 10 years ago

• Dept Health then agreed ideal label as voluntary label for all products in May 2007

• Voluntary agreement included info on risk to pregnancy

UK Voluntary Agreement

Pregnancy warning

Review of 458 samples

• “Know your limits” - 3%

• Unit Info - 43%

• CMO guidelines - 2.4%

• Drinkaware website - 35%

Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group - Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime (2008)

Review of 458 samples• Recommended pregnancy Wording - 2.2% • Alternative wording - 2.7%

• Alcohol in Pregnancy Logo - 13%

• 10 beers, 5 spirits, 51 wines

Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group - Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime (2008)

Has it worked?

• 86% of drinkers are aware of units

• 77% did not know how many units were in a large glass of wine.

• 55% thought it contained two units, rather than three

•One in three people didn't know a pint of beer contained two units of alcohol

You Gov Poll 2008 / BBC

Voluntary Agreement

“Limited unit and health information and guidance is currently being made available… however, overall there is much inconsistency as to the unit and health information content, format and location” (P. 3)

Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group - Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime (2008)

Alcohol Concern Study

• 10 promoted products at five major supermarkets – 50 products

• Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose• 4% of products had full agreed label • 18% sensible drinking levels and • 56% carried unit information • 40% carried either a message or symbol warning against drinking whilst pregnant Alcohol Concern 2009, Message in a Bottle

Industry arguments

• On its way – takes time for production line to reach consumer • Too much info on small labels

• Different countries have different measures of alcohol

• Too costly for small producers

Alcohol Concern 2009, Message in a Bottle

Inconsistencies across EU

• UK unit is defined as 8g of alcohol, in Poland 10g, in Finland 11g and in Italy 12g

• UK, Department of Health advises that men should drink no more than 24- 32g of alcohol per day, in Sweden the advice is 20g per day, in Germany it is 30g and in the Netherlands it is 39g

PORTMAN GROUP RESPONSE TO EC CONSULTATION DOCUMENT – “LABELLING: COMPETITIVENESS, CONSUMER INFORMATION AND BETTER REGULATION FOR THE EU” 2006

Voluntary vs. Statutory

• UK Gov considered statutory end-frame health info – all alcohol advertising

• Cost to industry - £113m

• Net benefit - £3.5Bn (by year 10)

• Decision made to abandon plan

• Industry told to ‘get house in order’

Point of Sale Info

• Can provide additional information at point of sale:

• Aisle, shelf, pay-point

• UK Gov intended to mandate PoS info within new code of retail practice

• Convinced by industry to defer this option for one year

Voluntary vs. Statutory

• Campaign Smarter Drinking - £100m

• No health warnings – voluntary take up

Recommendations

• Levy on drinks industry

•Fund for independent public health organisation to determine health messages • Mandatory health and pregnancy information

• EU consistency on measures and guidelines

Thank You

dshenker@alcoholconcern.org.uk

Tel. 020 7264 0510

www.alcoholconcern.org.uk