Breaking: Amendments made to alcohol and health recommendations in Europe

The European Parliament has acknowledged a difference between harmful and moderate alcohol consumption as it makes a final vote today on the adoption of a beating cancer report.

As db has written about extensively over recent weeks, the European Commission has approved the conclusion of a report from BECA – the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer – which stated that any amount of alcohol consumption carries a health risk; there is “no safe level”.

And, it is feared that such a report will lead to recommendations that EU member states impose a number of harsh measures on alcoholic drinks producers, from warning labels on bottles to bans on advertising and promoting drinks.

However, this week the European Parliament has debated and voted on a series of amendments to the BECA report, which, in particular, make a key, and new distinction between ‘harmful’ levels of drinking, as opposed to any level of consumption.

As can been seen below, the previous report suggested that “alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many different cancers”, but has now been altered to read that “harmful alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many different cancers.”

While this does not necessarily mean a watering down of the recommendations, it shows that the organisation recognises that it is the abuse of alcohol that is the main problem when it comes to cancer and other diseases, rather than low levels of drinking, which decades of scientific research have shown can in fact form part of a healthy lifestyle.

Speaking today in an exclusive interview with db about this change to the report, Pau Roca, who is director general of the OIV, said that a “few amendments have been adopted”, with “most important one being the introduction of the concept of harmful consumption.”

Continuing he said, “This creates a differentiation between consumption and harmful consumption, which is conceptually very important.”

However, the report still contains the message that there “is no safe level” of alcohol consumption, which comes from a study done by The Lancet in 2018, which has since been found to be flawed.

Although Roca said he was “concerned” that the BECA report has been “based on a weak scientific basis”, he said that he “could live” with the idea that all levels of drinking carry a risk, because “everything carries a risk; this is normal.”

As for the issue of health warnings on labels, Roca said that the recommendation in the amended report was “milder” than he had feared, noting that it calls for labels to carry the message, “drink with moderation and responsibility”.

However, “the mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and nutritional information” is recommended in the report for all alcoholic drinks.

Roca was a pains to stress that the imposition of such recommendations was “in the hands of member states”, meaning that each country can decide on whether to adopt the new labelling guidelines.

The final vote on the adoption of the amended report will take place today between 12:30 and 13:45.

See below for the amendments to the document that have been made this week.

Before

supports the provision of better information to consumers by improving the labelling of alcohol beverages to include health warning labels and introducing the mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and nutritional information, and in addition, by introducing digital labelling

After

supports the provision of better information to consumers by improving the labelling of alcohol beverages to include moderate and responsible drinking information and introducing the mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and nutritional information, and in addition, by introducing digital labelling

Before

recalls that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many different cancers, such as oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectal and female breast cancer

After

underlines that harmful alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many different cancers, such as oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectal and female breast cancer

Before

underlines that tobacco and alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, a high body mass index, a sedentary lifestyle and environmental pollution are risk factors common to other chronic diseases

After

underlines that tobacco and harmful alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, a high body mass index, a sedentary lifestyle and environmental pollution are risk factors common to other chronic diseases

Before

recalls the study referred to by WHO which recognises that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer prevention, and stresses the need to take this into account when devising and implementing cancer prevention policy

After

recalls the study referred to by WHO which recognises that the safest level of alcohol consumption is none when it comes to cancer prevention, and stresses the need to take this into account when devising and implementing cancer prevention policy

To see these amendments in full, please click here.