One in five alcohol products sold in the UK fail to meet the voluntary labelling guidelines set out by industry regulator the Portman Group, claims a report by the Alcohol Health Alliance and Alcohol Focus Scotland.
The study – which is the largest in the UK to date – looked at more than 530 products and found that information on units and ingredients as well as health and pregnancy warnings were either inconsistent or ‘wholly absent’. When health information was displayed, it was often in the form of ‘very small text or pictograms’, it adds – some measuring as little as 2.5mm in diameter.
While industry-approved messaging such as ‘drink responsibly’ appeared on almost 90 per cent of the products studied, one in four failed to include information on units per serving, while 8 per cent also failed to include the minimum requirement of units per container. Just under 7 per cent included a health warning, while only 1.3 per cent included specific warnings about cancer or liver disease.
Separate analysis by the Portman Group itself, however, claims that compliance with its voluntary health labelling guidelines is at ‘near universal’ levels, with a study of 500 top-brand products finding that 99 per cent carried a pregnancy warning ‘logo or message’, 96 per cent carried unit information, and 89 per cent displayed the chief medical officer’s low-risk drinking guidelines.
The Alcohol Health Alliance and Alcohol Focus Scotland are calling on the government to introduce mandatory labelling that includes both units per serving and per container alongside nutritional and ingredient information, and health and pregnancy warnings – including cancer warnings. Mandatory health warnings on the risks of liver disease, alcohol-related cancers and drinking while pregnant formed part of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act eight years ago, but their introduction has now been delayed until 2028 – the result of ongoing lobbying from the drinks industry, say campaigners.
‘Consumers are being kept in the dark about the potential health harms of alcohol products,’ said Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Carolyn Lochhead. ‘It is ludicrous that a pint of milk is required to carry more information than most alcohol products. With more than 50 people a week dying of preventable alcohol-related causes in Scotland, this situation cannot continue. Consumers have the right to know what they are drinking so that they can make genuinely informed choices about their health. Self-regulation has clearly failed. It’s time for the governments to act and introduce mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products.’
‘Alcohol is a type 1 carcinogen – in the same category as tobacco and asbestos – yet most alcohol products carry little or no meaningful health information communicating those risks,’ added Alcohol Health Alliance chair Professor Sir Ian Gilmore. ‘Public awareness of alcohol harms remains low, particularly around alcohol and cancer, despite alcohol being attributable to an estimated one in 25 cancer cases in the UK. Consumers would not accept this level of missing health information on other food and drink products, and alcohol should not be treated differently. Consumers have a right to know what is in their drink, how much alcohol it contains, and the health risks associated with drinking it. Mandatory alcohol labelling would help ensure everyone can make informed decisions about their health.’
A clear way forward: the case for better alcohol labelling available here
Informing customers through responsible alcohol labelling: 2026 UK market review available here