17 February 2010
The Church of England has welcomed the backing given by the Government for the proposals on mandatory labelling of alcoholic products in the latest Select Committee Report on Alcohol.
No-one can make responsible choices without full information and drinkers need to know how many units they are purchasing and relate this to responsible patterns of consumption. But mandatory labelling itself is not enough.
The Church of England's Director of Mission and Public Affairs, The Revd Dr Malcolm Brown said: "In our response to the Select Committee on Health we stressed the need for action on the recommendations about minimum pricing of alcohol and stronger regulation of drink promotions. The Committee was clear that the Government has often been ineffectual in its policies on alcohol abuse and too timid in standing up to vested interests. Mandatory labelling is a worthwhile step forward, but now it is time for boldness in tackling alcohol abuse. We look forward to hearing that the Committee's other proposals will also soon be implemented."
Note In January, the Church of England welcomed the report on alcohol published by the Commons Select Committee on Health. See press release .