Date published: 2007/05/28
The BBC says:
Alcoholic drinks will carry new health warning labels by the end of 2008 under a voluntary agreement between ministers and the drinks industry.
The labels will detail alcoholic units and recommended safe drinking levels.
Bottles and cans currently have alcohol percentages, but only some state what this equals in alcoholic units.
Public health minister Caroline Flint says exactly what the labels will say is not decided, but the warnings will not be as strong as for cigarettes.
The measure was first proposed three years ago, but both sides have struggled to agree on a format.
It is not known how many drinks firms will sign up for the scheme, but ministers said if the industry did not comply, the government would introduce legislation.
The proposed warning labels will include words such as "know your limits" or "drink responsibly", and the number of units each drink contains.
They will also warn that drinking alcohol should be avoided if pregnant or trying to conceive.
A fairly pointless exercise. The vast majority of people drink responsibly and the ones who do not will hardly care what a label says. And once it is clear that these labels make no difference, the health control freaks will no doubt insist that the labels get bigger and harsher.
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