It was a matter of time before this debate reached the table, but the reality is that certain wine sectors have not been amused. In the same way that we already see in tobacco packets nasty health advisories, it now seems that the world of wine, beer or spirits could have a similar future.
At least in Ireland, where a 2018 proposition, which was pending approval by the European authoritieswill allow alcohol labeling to include phrases like “Drinking alcohol causes liver cancer” or “There is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers.”
Allowed by the European Commission, nine countries (among which are Spain and Italy, for example) have presented complaints and allegations, as considered an attack on the single market and moderate alcohol consumptionsince products that come from beyond the European Union would be exempt from this labeling.
The row, which is based on the Irish Public Health Act of 2018, which arose with the aim of reducing alcohol abuse, it has also meant minimum retail prices for alcoholamong other changes that have disturbed within Ireland itself.
The truth is that the project, endorsed by the Irish Ministry of Health, is not yet finished, since the countdown requires up to three years for this labeling to reach the market, which It is assumed that until 2026 it would not appear in stores.
Still, there is a chance that the initiative will fail due to the belligerence of beer, wine or spirits producers. Among the complaints collected on the web Politicalnumerous producers or processors of alcohol emphasize that there is no distinction between moderate consumption and abusive consumption.
Although there are also some who follow holding on to the benefits of alcohol as moderate consumptionthat we have already dismantled on several occasions that it is a fallacy and that there is no recommended consumption of alcohol, the war also has economic overtones.
Such is the level of belligerence that even, as echoed in The Drink Businessa reference medium in the sector, involves a “direct attack” on certain producers, which it is even classified as an affront to the Mediterranean diet. This is supported in this medium by the Italian association of producers Coldiretti, which responds harshly: “It is totally improper to equate the excessive consumption of spirits, typical of the Nordic countries, with the moderate and conscious consumption of quality products with lower alcohol content. like beer and wine.”
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The obligation to label with the risks would only be for European producers, who should also keep this labeling on alcohol that is exported beyond our borders. This, according to various lobbies, represents a competitive disadvantage when presented in international markets and you see a wine or beer that, according to its label, can cause liver cancer, while non-European labels don’t have to mean it anywhere.
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