Surveying drinkers and non-drinkers
A study from University College London was designed to find out what would be the impact of adding calories on thelabels of alcoholic beverages. The researchers surveyed 4,683 adults in England between November 2022 and January 2023. They collected information about alcohol use with AUDIT, a self-report 10-item questionnaire developed by the World Health Organisation, to detect harmful alcohol consumption. The participants were split into three groups based on the results.
- Non-drinkers made up 22,7% of all participants
- Low-risk drinkers made up 54,8% of all participants
- Hazardous drinkers made up 22,5% of all participants
The AUDIT methodology has two more categories called “harmful drinkers” and “possible alcohol dependence”. Only 2,1% of participants from this study scored high enough to be in these most severe two categories so they were integrated into the “hazardous” group.
People would make changes if they knew about calories
The researchers found that alcohol drinkers would actually make changes if calories were displayed on the labels. Those in the hazardous group would be the most likely.
- 54% of hazardous drinkers would make changes to their drinking
- 44% of lighter drinkers would make changes to their drinking
And how would the heavier drinkers change their behaviour? Of course, these are just answers in a questionnaire, not actual changes, but this is what they said they would do.
- 27% would choose lower-calorie drinks
- 18% would drink alcohol less often
- 17% would consume fewer drinks
“Our study found that a sizeable proportion of heavier drinkers said they would change their drinking habits if calorie labelling was introduced. About 9% of calories consumed by men and 5% by women come from alcoholic drinks. Alcohol calorie labelling could therefore contribute modestly to helping people maintain a healthy weight,” said lead author Prof. Andrew Steptoe.
Should calorie labels be shown in supermarkets or pubs too?
The researchers also asked a few questions about where the calorie labels should be displayed. Here is what they found.
- 58% said calorie labelling would be useful
- 64% said calorie labelling should be provided in shops and supermarkets
- 52% said it should be available in pubs, bars and restaurants
Interestingly, the study also revealed that hazardous drinkers were more accurate compared with non-drinkers and low-risk drinkers in estimating how many calories are in alcoholic beverages. And when they were inaccurate, they overestimated the calorie content.
Should calorie labels be introduced for alcohol?
Considering the fact that hazardous drinkers said that they would change their consumption practices if mandatory calorie labelling was introduced, the authors of the study concluded that calorie labelling may make a modest contribution to energy intake and the maintenance of a healthy weight.
“While these results are encouraging, it is unlikely that alcohol calorie labelling in isolation would contribute substantially to the UK Government’s strategy to reduce harms from alcohol and obesity. It might have a positive role as part of a more comprehensive approach, including the regulation of advertising, availability, taxation and price,” said co-author Prof. Jamie Brown.
How about you? Would you like to know about calories when it comes to alcohol? Would you change your behaviour?
