UK opposition announces plans to scrap units system
January 14, 2010 By John Abbott
The UK government opposition has unveiled plans to scrap the units system currently used to measure alcoholic consumption.
The Conservative party says it would introduce new guidelines to make consumers more aware of their own drinking levels.
Under the proposals, producers would be required to print the actual number of centilitres of pure alcohol contained in each drink, replacing the current system of units.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said that the plans would 'encourage people to live healthier lives.'
'We will change labelling in order to take account of social norms and to abolish systems of labelling that do not help consumers understand the amount of alcohol they drink.'
The party says units fail to adequately take account of differing strengths of drinks.
It is thought that less than 10% of men and 20% of women know their current safe recommended daily alcohol allowance.
The Conservatives would also rename the Department of Health the 'Department of Public Health' with a new emphasis on preventative health measures.
WSTA Chief Executive Jeremy Beadles said it made sense 'to provide information for consumers about alcohol in a way that can easily be related to specific drinks.'
'We welcome steps to encourage consumers to make informed choices and take responsibility for their own behaviour.'
'We believe that policies to address alcohol misuse are most likely to succeed if they focus on problem drinkers rather than particular products.'
'Evidence from other countries suggests that higher taxes and prices for certain drinks do not change the behaviour of those who misuse alcohol.'
The plans also included a proposed ban on supermarkets selling cheap alcohol as loss-leaders and the introduction of calorie counts on drinks labels.
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I agree with your (Adam Lechmere's) comments on your website about the Government Opposition's proposals for labelling alcohol content in centilitres.
However, I cannot see it will make any difference. According to my calculations 1 cl of ethanol is equal to 1 Unit.
1 Unit = 8 g ethanol
The density of ethanol is 0.79 g per ml
So, 8 g ethanol = 10 ml ethanol = 1 cl ethanol.
Therefore, there is no difference between reporting the alcohol content in Units or in centilitres. John Scottow
I am happy to see the volume of alcohol in a bottle or glass clearly labelled. The 'units' system is widely misunderstood and is difficult to use, given the widely differing alcohol content of drinks.
However, to move to centilitres is daft. People use millilitres (ml) and litres in their daily lives (just as they use grams and kilograms for weights). Chemists use ml and l in their preparative procedures, cooks use ml and l in their recipes, food manufacturers and most wines bottlers use ml (apart from a few oddballs who use cl). People understand ml. Cl is simply an extra complication.
Please encourage the use of ml on wine bottles and for alcoholic content. Dr. John Malpass
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I agree with your (Adam Lechmere's) comments on your website about the Government Opposition's proposals for labelling alcohol content in centilitres.
