Drink firms wary of health labels on alcoholBy Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Plans to put detailed health warnings on bottles of alcohol have been undermined by disagreements between drinks companies and the Department of Health.
Caroline Flint, the public health minister, announced yesterday a "voluntary agreement" between the Government and the drinks industry that would see all alcohol packaging have health warnings by the end of next year.
The labels will say how many units of alcohol are in the bottle or can and how many units consumers should drink each day.
The advice is for men to drink no more than three to four units a day and women to drink no more than two to three units. A unit is the equivalent of half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.
However, while most in the industry support the principle of better labelling, many have reservations about what to put on their bottles and object to being forced to follow a Government template. Advising pregnant women to avoid all alcohol is another issue, that few are happy to adopt.
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