Fed: Beer, wine should have fat and sugar labels: Survey

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2007
Fed: Beer, wine should have fat and sugar labels: Survey

SYDNEY, Dec 9 AAP - Australian students want alcoholic drinks to carry labels listing
their ingredients and fat and sugar content, a major survey has found.

A study of almost 6,500 university students has revealed that more than three-quarters
want comprehensive labelling for beer, wine and other intoxicating beverages.

Public health researchers behind the project say the findings strengthen the argument
to force manufacturers to disclose the same information offered on soft drink and juice
bottles.

Dr Kypros Kypri from the University of Newcastle and colleagues from Western Australia
and New Zealand surveyed 6,497 students aged 17 to 25 at one Australian university.

The results, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, showed support was overwhelming
for detailed contents information.

More than 80 per cent wanted to see ingredients, while 75 per cent wanted nutritional
information, like the amount of sugar and kilojoules.

Women were most likely to support the move, while people who drank more than the recommended
daily intake were slightly less likely to support the change.

Dr Kypri said it was not clear whether the label changes would affect drinking behaviour
among some groups, like weight-conscious young women.

"But regardless ... it is hard to understand why alcoholic beverages are not subject
to the same requirements for disclosing ingredients and nutritional information as non-alcoholic
beverages," the authors wrote.

"The strength of support for these measures, even among heavy drinkers, suggests that
bringing alcohol packaging into line with non-alcoholic beverage packaging would have
public support."

AAP tam/jt/de

KEYWORD: ALCOHOL

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