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Written question asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative) on Monday, 23 June 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 July 2025. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Monday, 7 July 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for requiring alcohol producers to include clear and specific health warnings on products, and what action they propose in response to any such assessment.

Answer

In ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. A copy of the plan has been placed in the Library, due to the size of the document.

Currently, there is voluntary guidance on communicating the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guideline, which recommends labels include info that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and to include a warning against drinking during pregnancy. The Department has commissioned a National Institute for Health and Care Research study on understanding the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on alcohol and calorie selection, purchasing, and consumption. This study is due to report in 2026.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8695
Session
2024-26
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP2025-0460
Monday, 7 July 2025
Deposited papers
House of Lords
Subjects
Alcoholic drinks Health hazards Labelling
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk