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On 30 January 2008 the European Commission adopted a proposal on the provision of food information to consumers, which aims to regulate information given to consumers on the labels of foodstuff (including alcoholic beverages). Unfortunately the proposal exempts wine, beer and spirits from the requirement to bear a list of ingredients and nutritional values that applies to the rest of foodstuffs.
(Source: Eurocare, 2/24/09)

The Newsletter Jan.-February 2009 by Eurocare is available online.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the Media Literacy for Prevention, Critical Thinking, Self-Esteem, have created a free classroom lesson plan encouraging students to analyze beer ads aired during this year’s NCAA „March Madness“ college basketball tournament. (Source: Join Together, 2/13/09)

Follow the process for implementing the WHA 61.4 resolution and preparing a draft global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol.
Member States at the May 2008 World Health Assembly have considered the report of the Secretariat „Strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol“ and adopted the resolution that, inter alia, mandated that WHO prepares a draft global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol.
The planned process of implementing the WHA 61.4 resolution and preparing the draft strategy will involve the following stages, activities and timeline: See the WHO-Website. Deutsche Webseite: Dokumente

For the first time, young people and their parents will have clear medical guidance on alcohol consumption. The guidance, will be announced by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, to be published for consultation. It will recommend that young people up to the age of 15 should avoid alcohol altogether.
Comment: The proposed drink-limits for adults, also proposed in this article, are too high. (Source: Medical News Today: 1/30/09) Deutsche Webseite: Dokumente

The new advice on acceptable alcohol consumption is one glass a day for women and a maximum of two glasses for men.

Until recently, the rule was that healthy adults of both sexes could drink one glass more than that, without running health risks. However, new scientific results show that these drinking guidelines need to be lowered.
Dutch experts have reached agreement concerning the new advice. The Trimbos-Institute, a knowledge centre for addiction treatment, initiated a convention of health scientists and communication experts to agree on the ways the new guidelines will be communicated.
The adjustment of the advice on healthy alcohol consumption is an effect of the Health Council’s guidelines for Healthy Consumption 2006. These guidelines stipulated that moderate alcohol consumption (one to two glasses a day) probably somewhat lowers the risk of dying, especially from coronary heart diseases, for older men and postmenopausal women. However, women also increase their risk of developing breast cancer slightly when drinking two glasses of alcohol a day. This explains why the limit has been established at two glasses for men and one for women.

Young people below 18 years of age should not drink at all according to the Health Council, because just two alcoholic drinks a day they increase already their risk of numerous health complications. “Our next step is to think about the best way to translate this advice in such a way to best reach the public at large,” says Victor Everhardt of the Trimbos-Institute. “Such a norm of course doesn’t say anything about acceptable alcohol consumption by pregnant women or in combination with medication.”

The experts have said farewell to the concept of ‘responsible’ alcohol consumption. They now speak about ‘acceptable’ consumption. “From our perspective, there is no such thing as responsible alcohol consumption,” says director Van Dalen of the Foundation for Alcohol Prevention. “Less is always better. There is no general, safe norm for alcohol consumption.” (Source: Eurocare, STAP, 1/22/09)