Half of heavy drinkers say calorie labels on alcohol would change their drinking habits

A study by University College London that surveyed 4,683 adults in England who regularly consume alcohol suggests calorie labels might help the biggest boozers keep their weight down

Half of heavy drinkers claim calorie labels on bottles would see them change their drinking habits.

A study by University College London surveyed 4,683 adults in England and asked about the impact of warning labels linked to piling on the pounds.

Some 54% of heavier drinkers said they would make changes to their drinking if calorie labels were introduced, compared to 44% of lighter drinkers. More than a quarter of heavier drinkers (27%) said they would choose lower calorie drinks, while one in six said they would drink alcohol less often (18%) and consume fewer drinks (17%). The findings suggest calorie labels could help some drinkers maintain a healthier weight.

Lead author Prof Andrew Steptoe said: “Our study found that a sizeable proportion of heavier drinkers said they would change their drinking habits if calorie labelling was introduced. This suggests labelling might help target higher-risk drinkers who are getting a greater proportion of calories from alcohol and are more likely to gain excess weight as a result.”

Under current UK law, all food and non-alcoholic drinks must display nutritional information. Alcoholic products are exempt from this and only need to show the strength of alcohol, the volume of the drink and any allergens.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, included survey responses from a representative sample of adults in England. They grouped survey respondents into non-drinkers, low-risk drinkers and hazardous drinkers based on a questionnaire about drinking habits, which asked about the amount of alcohol consumed as well as the impact of drinking on daily life. About three quarters of drinkers were classed as low-risk and one quarter as hazardous.

Asked to choose the correct 50kcal range for different alcoholic drinks, hazardous drinkers were consistently more accurate compared with non-drinkers and low-risk drinkers. If they were not accurate, they tended to overestimate rather than under-estimate calorie content.

Co-author Professor Jamie Brown said: “While these results are encouraging, it is unlikely that alcohol calorie labelling in isolation would contribute substantially to the UK Government's strategy to reduce harms from alcohol and obesity. It might have a positive role as part of a more comprehensive approach, including regulation on advertising, availability, taxation and price."

Researchers suggest increasing the availability of lower calorie drinks as this was the most common action in response to mandatory labelling and was particularly popular among hazardous drinkers.

The study was commissioned and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Obesity Policy Research Programme.