Wowser health warning plan will deface our great wine labels

Tony Love
February 09, 2013
Sunday Mail (SA)

FIRST plain packaging, now the Government may force tobacco companies to make their products taste worse in the battle against smoking.

WINE bottles will have to carry large and graphic health warnings similar to cigarette packs if proposals from public health lobbyists get the go-ahead.

With the fight against tobacco well under way, health campaigners have switched their attention to the alcohol industry, demanding more confronting images and messages to be included on both front and back labels of all alcohol products.

The campaign, led by a range of vocal groups including National Alliance for Action Against Alcohol, the Alcohol Policy Coalition, Vic Health and the Cancer Council of Victoria has targeted a range of products from beer, spirits, mixers and wine in its aim to combat public health hazards resulting from risky drinking practices.

Labelling messages already introduced voluntarily by the wine industry warning against drinking while pregnant, as well as “kids and alcohol don’t mix” campaigns and a link to the national organisation DrinkWise’s “get the facts” online information service are considered inadequate, says Vic Health executive manager Dr Bruce Bolam.

“The new labels are a step in the right direction but we need to go further,” Dr Bolam said.

The harm done by irresponsible alcohol goes far beyond the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, he said, from violence and car accidents to long-term health impacts such as liver and brain damage as well as cancer and blindness.

Vic Health has argued for more prominent labels with “clear and visually arresting” graphic information.

Bigger back label warnings are a must and the potential move to sizeable front labels should be considered, Dr Bolam said.

It’s understood submissions to government have included plans for graphic warnings to take up to 25 per cent of front labels, but while Dr Bolam considers that to be a “radical step” he argues it should be considered.

The moves by the anti-alcohol campaigners to scare people out of their favourite tipple will be resisted strongly by Australia’s wine industry, which claims the medical evidence doesn’t support the full list of claims the health lobbyists are making.

“The guidelines around pregnancy and drinking were a good example of the industry moving forward with sensible and practical action,” Treasury Wine Estates corporate affairs director Roger Sharp said.

TWE produces Penfolds and Wolf Blass, and with Pernod Ricard (Jacob’s Creek) and Accolade Wines (Hardys) has led recent voluntary labelling moves.
“There’s not the evidence internationally to substantiate other claims at this time,” Mr Sharp said.

Winemakers Federation of Australia boss Paul Evans said: “Any extreme action of plain packaging will make our wine industry an international laughing stock.”