Alcohol unit guides 'not fit for purpose'

The Government should consider whether current safe drinking and alcohol unit guidelines are "fit for purpose".

That is the view of a group of MPs on the Commons Public Committee in a new report on Reducing Alcohol Harm​, which also called for greater co-ordination of policies affecting alcohol consumption and for unit labelling to be made compulsory on alcoholic drinks.

The Committee said there was a "widespread and longstanding lack of clarity in the minds of the public" over how many units it is safe to drink.

It pointed to research in 2008, which showed that 77% of people did not know how many units were in a typical large glass of wine.

"The Department should assess whether the current guidelines are fit for purpose or should be replaced with something more readily understood," it said.

The MPs also called for unit labelling on drinks to be made complulsory. It claimed that by July 2008, only 3% of alcoholic products had fully complied with the drink industry's voluntary labelling scheme.

Lack of co-ordination​

The Committee also said there was "little evidence" that policies affecting alcohol consumption such as licensing, taxation and glass sizes were effectively co-ordinated.

MPs said that "alcohol has become steadily cheaper in relation to income" and pointed to an independent review, which found that alcohol had become 69% more affordable between 1980 and 2007.

Alcohol Health Alliance chairman Ian Gilmore said: "It clearly demonstrates that the delivery of alcohol policy locally has been uncoordinated and muddled, and the effect on those particular interventions left unevaluated.

"The Government must now focus on better policy coordination and a clear mandatory framework rather than voluntary partnerships with industry. Above all it must prevent harm and drive down overall consumption through introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol."

Chris Sorek, chief executive of industry backed charity Drinkaware, said education was the key to informing the public on safe drinking limits:

"Education must play a central role in tackling alcohol misuse — it's imperative that people know what they're drinking and how it will affect them.

"Timely and trusted information about cutting back, having alcohol-free days and staying healthy can help people reduce the negative impact of alcohol misuse. Knowing about unit guidelines and how alcohol can affect overall health and well-being can help people make informed decisions about drinking.

"Changing public attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol requires long-term and sustained commitment and a partnership between government, industry, health and voluntary sectors. Drinkaware's public education campaigns play a crucial role in raising awareness of the dangers of binge drinking."

Alcohol-related health problems cost the NHS an estimated £2.7bn a year. In 2006-07, there were 811,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions -— a 71% increase in four years.