Often we come across the statutory warning on cigarette packets that ‘tobacco smoking is injurious to health’. Little is known about how far these are successful in making people reduce their smoking or quit smoking altogether. However, as a civic responsibility our government presses that companies manufacturing cigarette packets, label their product with the warning.
A health warning on similar lines will figure on cans and bottles of alcoholic drinks by end of 2008 in the United Kingdom as per a voluntary agreement between the drinks industry and ministers in England. This decision though taken by only the health ministers of England is likely to be implemented for the entire United Kingdom.
At present, the labels on cans and bottles in the UK only carry the amount of alcohol in percentage that is present in the drink contained in them and only a few state the alcohol unit equivalent of the percentage. The new labels will not only inform the consumer what are the optimum amounts to be consumed in terms of alcohol units but also will carry the advice of drinking responsibly. Apart from these, the labels are expected to carry special warnings for pregnant women or women trying to conceive.
Public health minister Caroline Flint said,
“This landmark, voluntary agreement will help people calculate, at a glance, how much they are drinking and whether they are staying within sensible drinking guidelines. This is about helping people to make the right choices.”
Many people are questioning the efficacy of these health warnings on drink cans and bottles. These include Annette Fleming, chief executive of Aquarius, a Midlands-based alcohol and drugs charity. She is not wrong when she points out the bitter truth saying,
“It begs the question, that once people have had one drink out of a bottle, are they really going to be bothered to read the tiny print that talks about units?”
Nevertheless, there is no harm in going ahead with labels carrying health warnings on the drink cans and bottles. It is after all for the benefit of the population but what people should remember is that their health is their own responsibility. If they choose to ignore the health warnings no one but them will be at a loss.
Image: Ardenstone
Via: BBC