UK ministers consider calorie labels for spirits

The British government is considering whether spirits labels should include calorie information to discourage binge drinking.

According to public health minister Anna Soubry, government ministers have been discussing the issue with the alcoholics drinks industry – including beer, wine and spirit producers.

Ministers hope that including calorie information on spirit bottle labels could help encourage consumers to drink less.

“The [Health] Department has discussed the possible inclusion of calorie content on labels with representatives of the alcohol industry on a number of occasions,” she said, adding that the European Commission may suggest calorie labelling on alcoholic drinks becomes mandatory when it reviews the issue in two years.

The talks come after a recent study by Drink Aware linked obesity to the high calorie content of alcoholic drinks.

According to the Drinks Aware Trust, two large glasses of wine have the same calorie content as a beefburger at 400 calories.

Many wine, beer and spirits producers already display calorie information on their labels as part of the government’s responsibility deal.

“By the end of this year, 80% of all alcoholic drinks on shop shelves will include clear labelling on units and health messages,” a Department of Health spokesperson said. “Through the Responsibility Deal we will continue to discuss how to give consumers more information on alcoholic drinks, including calorie labelling.”

However the rise of the ‘skinny’ cocktail suggests that many consumers are already aware of how calorific alcoholic drinks can be.

Joe McCanta, brand ambassador for Grey Goose vodka, predicted last month that skinny cocktails would become popular in London bars over the next 12 months as consumers look to cut back.