Brewer offers new health warning
Britain's biggest brewer is to label its cans and bottles of beer with a health warning.
Scottish Courage wants to help combat binge drinking, with other brewers expected to follow suit.
The warnings will appear on Newcastle Brown ale, to be followed next year by other Scottish Courage brands such as Fosters, Kronenbourg and John Smith's.
They will explain that responsible drinkers should not exceed four units a day for men and three for women.
Drinkers will also be told how many units are in each can or bottle.
The move comes as a website is launched which will allow people to assess whether their alcohol intake could be damaging their health.
Unit calculator
The site, run by the Portman Group which promotes sensible drinking, will enable people to compare their alcohol consumption with government guidelines.
Drinkaware.co.uk, which features an alcohol unit calculator, is to be advertised on drinks labels.
Health Secretary John Reid said he welcomed "accurate, accessible advice on responsible drinking".
The Portman Group is funded by the alcohol industry.
The new site has special sections for drivers, young people, pregnant women, parents and older people.
There is also a simple self-assessment test for people particularly concerned aout their drinking habits.
Mr Reid said: "I welcome the fact that the Portman group of drinks producers accepts its responsibility to give accurate, accessible advice on responsible drinking.
"Companies making it simple to understand exactly the amount of alcohol in their particular drink brands and providing straightforward ways to access advice on problem drinking is a major step forward."
Complex message
Portman Group chief executive Jean Coussins said: "This is a massive step forward towards ensuring that people who choose to drink alcohol can understand fully the responsible drinking message, and can make well-informed choices as a result."
She added that there had always been difficulty "communicating a detailed and complex responsible drinking message... on something as small as a drinks label".
Directing consumers to the new website would give them "as much information as possible", she said.
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Published: 2004/11/12 05:25:32 GMT