European Parliament: Alcoholic drinks should state calorie content
Plans for labelling the calorie content of alcoholic beverages should be tabled by the European Commission at the latest in 2016, members of the European Parliament said in a resolution on April 29.
The resolution calls for a new EU “Alcohol Strategy” focusing on alcohol consumption by minors and EU-wide labelling to discourage drink driving and drinking while pregnant.
MEPs called on the European Commission to “immediately begin work on the new EU Alcohol Strategy (2016-2022)” in order to assist national governments in dealing with alcohol-related harm, a European Parliament media statement said.
The strategy should include collecting reliable data, improving prevention and treatment, reducing accidents caused by drink-driving and analysing various drinking patterns, MEPs said in the resolution.
The European Commission should evaluate whether the requirement to provide consumers with information on ingredients and nutritional content should apply to alcoholic beverages, say MEPs.
The calorie content of alcoholic beverages should be clearly stated, and the european Commission should table a legislative proposal to this end in 2016 at the latest, the resolution said.
MEPs also called for the Commission to consider EU-wide labelling to warn pregnant women not to consume alcohol and to alert drinkers to the dangers of drink-driving.
MEPs called on EU countries to step up efforts to protect young people by strictly enforcing legislation on the drinking age limit, and recommend that they monitor the effects of alcohol advertising on young people and limit their exposure. EU countries should also consider measures against the sale of very cheap alcohol, MEPs said.
The European Commission should also tackle cross-border sales of alcohol via the internet, MEPs said in the resolution.
EU member states were urged to run campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of binge drinking, especially for minors, and step up efforts to reduce road accidents related to drink-driving, says the text.
(Photo: peterfeije)
