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Alcohol packaging should sport calorie labels, warn LGA

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By Seb Joseph, News editor

January 2, 2016 | 3 min read

Alcohol makers have been urged to introduce calorie labels to their packaging in order to inform more people that their products can contribute to weight gain, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

The lobby group, which represents 370 councils, claimed calories from alcohol have no nutritional value and are contributing to an escalating obesity crisis. It’s a side effect not known by many Britons, who usually associate the health dangers of drinking alcohol to liver damage and an increased risk of cancer, the LGA continued.

Drinking five pints of beer over 24 hours is the calorific equivalent of eating more than three burgers, and takes 90 per cent of intense exercise to burn it off, according to research highlighted by the LGA. Despite the risk, many people are unaware of the impact excessive drinking can have on their weight.

Only 20 per cent of the public knew there were 228 calories in a large glass of wine, with the rest making an incorrect guess or admitting they didn’t know. For a pint of lager, just 10 per cent of Britons knew that it contained 180 calories.

Councillor Izzy Seccombe, the LGA’s spokesperson, said calorie labels on drinks would allow people make informed choices about their drinking and consequently help tackle an obesity problem that costs the NHS more than £5bn a year.

"It's all about giving people the right information about the calories they are consuming. This saves money for other parts of the public sector by reducing demand for hospital, health and social care services, and improves the public's health."

The Royal Society for Public Health has previously called for the introduction of calorie labels on alcohol. Last year, members of European Parliament also backed the call, although the vote was not binding.

However, alcohol manufacturers could resist such a move due to fears that adding calorie labels could limit the impact of their brands on packaging.

It has emerged that drinkers will be advised to cut back on alcohol for at least two days a week as part of a raft of new health messages from the government.

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