Saturday, 5 February 2022

Wine industry fears warning labels on bottles

Bottles of wine could in the near future carry health messages with lurid photos like those carried on packets of cigarettes. Get ready for warnings like "drinking causes cancer".

To head off action like this, the International Organisation of Wine and Vine (OIV) met with the World Health Organisation this week to “discuss the role of wine in alcohol policies”, Drinks Business reports.

The OIV wants to promote the role of moderate wine consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle.

The OIV issued a statement to Drinks Business saying it has always encouraged responsible drinking and has published the results from many studies into the effects of moderate wine consumption on health.

For this reason it noted that the OIV and WHO have “common objectives in promoting a healthy way of life”, adding that “co-operation is crucial between both organisations”.

The WHO is expected to adopt “a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol” in May this year.

Within the draft plan, among the “proposed actions” for the WHO secretariat, is not only the “implementation of minimum pricing and taxation policies”, but also “the development and implementation of warning labels” for drinks.

There will be a final vote soon to decide on whether the recommendations in this report should be adopted by the European Union, which would include a suggestion that health warnings be added to all alcoholic drinks.


No comments:

Post a Comment