Alcohol related harm

WRITTEN QUESTION by Marian Harkin (ALDE) to the Commission

1. Why does the EU continue to allow alcohol products to be exempted from inclusion within the list of the general ingredients exemption from the labelling law required for food products?

2. Will the Commission consider placing warning messages on all alcohol products?

Answer given by Ms Vassiliou on behalf of the Commission

Labelling of ingredients of alcoholic beverages is one of the issues addressed in the context of the revision of the EU food labelling legislation. The Commission proposal for a Regulation of the Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers [1] requires labelling of ingredients of alcoholic beverages.

However, a five year exemption is granted to wine, spirits and beer. The discussions that preceded the adoption of the Commission proposal revealed once again the complexity of the matter. The proposal acknowledges the specificities in the production methods of those products and the need to ensure a coherent approach and to avoid a discriminatory approach between competitive products. However, it is foreseen that after five years from the entry into force of the new legislation, the Commission shall adopt a report concerning the labelling of such products and may adopt specific rules on ingredients listing and nutrition labelling in accordance with the procedure of Comitology.

In spite of the above mentioned exemption, the Commission proposal represents an improvement of the current situation given that ready to drink mixed alcoholic beverages, that until now escaped the obligation to provide information on their composition, would have to provide ingredient listing and full nutrition labelling.

It is also important to remember that Directive 2000/13/EC of 20 March 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs [2] already requires all alcoholic drinks to bear information on allergens.

Concerning the risks related to the consumption of alcoholic drinks, the EU strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol-related harm, adopted by the Commission on 24 October 2006 [3] adresses the health effects related to harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption in general and focuses on preventing heavy and extreme drinking patterns as well as under age drinking, alcohol-related road accidents and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

This communication identifies information, education and awareness raising on the impact of harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption as one of the priority themes, which are relevant in all Member States and for which Community action complementing national policies has an added value in the light of Article 152 of the EC Treaty.

Currently the Commission is exploring the potential for developing efficient common approaches throughout the Community to provide adequate consumer information. In this context experience with warning labels (e.g. on alcohol and pregnancy) on bottles and other containers will also be considered.