British Booze Will Be Labeled With Health Info

For the first time in Britain, alcoholic beverages will sport labels specifying how many units a drink possesses, and how many are considered safe for consumption. The action comes in light of the fact that binge-drinking among young adults has become a rising concern for the nation. The current practice is to present percentage of alcohol details, while most containers have unit info, but there is no mention of safe consumption levels. Men should not drink more than 3-4 units per day, women, 2-3. There are two units of alcohol in a pint of average strength British lager. And in general, a small glass of wine or a half of a pint of beer are considered as one unit. A unit is one third of an ounce of pure alcohol.

The agreement struck between the Health Ministry and the drinks industry is set to have these labels appearing as early as the end of 2008. Officials are hopeful that the new labels will make sticking to recommended consumption levels easier for all, at a time when Britain's alcohol-related deaths in men has more than doubled since 1993.