Further calls for health warnings in alcohol

Lobbyists have called for mandatory health information on alcohol products after figures revealed alcohol-related cancer hospital admissions in certain regions are almost 50% higher than the UK average.

Balance is calling on the government to make health information mandatory on all alcohol products

Figures released by Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, revealed that the admissions rate in the region – 254 per 100,000 people – is 48% higher than the national average, with the cost in 2013 estimated to be £12.5 million.

The new information has prompted the organisation to call on the government for new legislation to make health information mandatory on all alcohol products.

Colin Shevills, director of Balance, said: “These findings make for uncomfortable reading and further highlight the need for the hidden harms associated with drinking to be addressed.

“Alcohol is linked to more than 60 medical conditions including cancer. You don’t need to be a heavy drinker to be at risk, drinking a pint of beer or a glass of wine every day can increase the risk of seven types of cancer and the more a person drinks, the more they increase their risk.

“We are all entitled to know exactly what we’re putting into our bodies so we can fully assess the risks and make informed choices about how much we drink.”

The action is part of a campaign by Balance for alcohol products to include nutritional information, such as calorie content, as well as warnings about how alcohol affects a person’s health.

Dr Robin Mitchell, clinical director for the Northern Strategic Clinical Networks, said: “As alcoholic drinks have the potential to cause harm to health, it is surely correct that consumers should be made aware of these risks. Information of this type is, in my view, essential to allow the public to make properly informed choices in matters that influence health and wellbeing.”

The debate over whether increased health warnings on alcohol labels can reduce consumption has been waging for some time.

Earlier this year, members of European Parliament voted in favour of making calorie content a mandatory feature on the labels of all alcoholic drinks sold across the EU.