The call, from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) comes after research showed Europe as the heaviest drinking region in the world and that a large glass of wine contains the same number of calories as a slice of cake.
Currently, alcoholic drinks that contain more than 1.2% alcohol by volume are exempt from EU regulations on nutritional labeling that came into force in 2011, covering all food and soft drinks,
Research by the RSPH also found that the move to introduce calorie labeling on alcoholic drinks was supported by over two-thirds (67%) of those they surveyed.
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of RSPH, said: “For too long consumers have been denied access to the nutritional and calorie information of alcoholic drinks. How can we expect people to make informed decisions about their health and what they’re consuming if the information is withheld from them?
“We remain optimistic that European politicians will put the interests of the public’s health before those of industry and introduce a measure which will enable more informed choice.”
Glenis Willmott, MEP for the Eat of England, has been a vocal supporter for the call to implement alcohol labeling. He said: “In order to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm, we must make sure people are given clear information to enable them to make informed choices so I hope that next week MEPs will support my call for honest alcohol labeling.”