Alcohol consumption It is one of the factors that contributes the most to the burden of disease, both globally and in our environment. For example, it is responsible for 5.7% of total mortality in the countries of Europa occidental and 5.3% in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
Iñaki Galán Labaca
Epidemiologist doctor. Area: risk factors for chronic diseases, Carlos III Health Institute
Deaths in Spain
In Spain, the average annual number of deaths attributable to alcohol during the period 2010-2017 in people over 14 years of age was 15,489, which represents 4% of overall mortality. In addition, it is a premature mortality, since one in two deaths occurs in people under 75 years of age.
Obviously, this burden of disease is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumption, which in Spain is highly normalized. According to data from the EDADES 2020 survey, 18.6% of the population between 15 and 64 years old had an alcohol consumption above that considered low risk, that is, greater than 10 and 20 grams per day in women and men, respectively. 10 grams would correspond to the consumption of a beer or a glass of wine.
In the young population, the STUDIES 2021 survey shows that more than half of students aged 14 to 18 had drunk alcohol in the last 30 days. AND one in four had experienced a binge in this period.
Do we know what we drink when we drink alcohol?
Labeling is a right for consumers to have information about the products they buy: the list of ingredients in a drink can warn of the presence of potentially harmful substances. Furthermore, both the nutritional information and calorie content allow consumers to better plan their diet and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Few consumers know that alcoholic beverages are a significant source of calories. Returning to Spain about 3% of total caloric intake comes from alcohol consumption, when, for example, the contribution of sugary soft drinks is 2%. Keep in mind that a can of beer or a glass of wine provide approximately 120 calories, which is spent running for about 13 minutes.
In addition, there is evidence that nutrition labels on foods and non-alcoholic beverages favor the choice of healthier optionsimproving dietary patterns.
In the case of alcoholic beverages, labeling would form part of a comprehensive strategy to improve consumer information and education to prevent and reduce harm associated with alcohol consumption.
What does the European regulation say?
In Europe, alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic strength greater than 1.2% They are not required to include nutritional information. It is a huge contradiction that, for example, a non-alcoholic beer has to be perfectly labeled while another with alcoholic content does not.
In the event that the company wants to include it voluntarily, it has two options: provide only the caloric value or describe all the complete mandatory nutritional information. In the member countries of the European Union, only Ireland requires by law to report the nutritional values of alcoholic beverages.
In March 2017, the European Commission produced a report considering the mandatory labeling of these products. The document cited two studies related to consumer knowledge: after being informed of the energy value of drinks, one in two interviewees wanted to have this information when buying alcoholic products.
Consumers appreciated that nutrition facts should be included on beverages regardless of whether they contain alcohol or not.
Is self-regulation the solution?
The alcohol industry has always been very reluctant to include nutritional information on its products. Now he has reacted by acknowledging the right of consumers to know those characteristics and the ingredients of alcoholic beverages, but within a framework of self-regulation.
The Commission invited this industry to develop a proposal, which was presented in March 2018 and responded unevenly depending on the sector.
So, the spirits sector committed that 66% of its products would be labeled by the end of 2022; the brewing sector assumed 100% for the same date; and the wine sector left the option open to each company to inform through product labeling or on its website.
Given the question of whether or not the voluntary regulation is being complied with once the application period has ended, it still cannot be answered due to the lack of objective data, but if we examine the beverage containers we will verify that It is not expected to find very positive results.
Consequently, if self-regulation fails, mandatory regulation should be passed without delay. ANDl alcohol causes a significant burden of disease and the consumer has the right to receive objective information about the ingredients included in alcoholic beverages and their caloric content, as well as the practically null nutritional value they provide.