The British Medical Association in Scotland has called for the Scottish government to introduce compulsory labelling of alcohol limits and units on all alcoholic drinks.
The call is timed to coincide with the start of Scotland’s first Alcohol Awareness Week on 21 October which aims to crack down on binge drinking north of the boarder.
Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: “By legislating for standardised labelling on all alcohol products, we can avoid mixed messages and help people to make informed choices about what they drink.
This approach would be a valuable addition to the Scottish government’s plans to tackle Scotland’s drinking problem.”
Voluntary nationwide proposals for labelling alcohol limits and units already exist but the BMA has called for them to be formal and standardised.
Meanwhile the Scottish retail trade, which has come under fire from the on-trade for its bulk discounting of alcohol, has said it will support the week by increasing healthy drinking messages in off-trade stores.
Scottish Retail Consortium director Fiona Moriarty said the off-trade had already introduced alcohol guidelines on its own brand packaging voluntarily in response to the proposals.
Scottish Alcohol Awareness Week is also being backed by the Scottish Beer and Pub Association and the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.
Alcohol warnings to appear on drink packaging >>
Scottish pubs and bars face anti-social behaviour charge >>
By Christopher Walton
E-mail your comments to Christopher Walton here.
| | Newswire
For the latest hospitality news, sign up for our e-mail news alerts. | |