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UK: Scottish & Newcastle, which makes Fosters and Kronenbourg lagers, will next month become the first major brewer in the world to put general health warnings on beer bottles. The initiative in Britain will go beyond current government policy aimed at combating binge drinking, and will be similar to health warnings on cigarette packets, The Telegraph revealed on October 17.

Scottish & Newcastle's lead is expected to be followed by other brewers and become standard practice in the UK within months. The company's warnings will be headed "UK Alcohol Units" and contain a message saying: "Responsible drinkers don't exceed three to four units a day for men, two to three for women." The warnings will be prominent, and also say how many units of alcohol the can or bottle contains, typically about two units for a can of lager. Scottish & Newcastle will initially place the warnings on bottles and cans of Newcastle Brown Ale, then extend them to its other brands, which also include John Smith's bitter.

Scottish & Newcastle denied that it was introducing the warnings as a way of avoiding potential lawsuits that could blame drinks companies for health problems. "We are doing it because we are a responsible company," said a spokesman. A spokesman denied they were warnings, however. "It's not a health warning, it's a responsibility message," he said. "If you drink moderately it's compatible with a healthy lifestyle, whereas if you drink too much we all know it can do you a lot of harm."

Coors, which brews Carling and Grolsch lagers in the UK, will introduce a similar policy in 2005, and other brewers are expected to follow suit. Coors said it would first introduce a message saying "Enjoy Carling, Take it Easy", but it is also understood to be planning more comprehensive health messages.

In the US, specific warnings about the risks of alcohol for drivers and pregnant women are a legal requirement, although beer packaging does not carry general health warnings of the sort to be introduced in the UK.

Although these initiatives by brewers follow calls from the Government for them to help combat binge drinking, they may not avert the imposition of more specific health warnings. Tony Blair said last month that proposals to impose labels to deter pregnant women from drinking would be incorporated in a government white paper ahead of future legislation.


20 October, 2004