By Charlotte Webster
Alcohol producers need to specify the number of calories contained in alcoholic drinks to enable drinkers to make an informed choice when purchasing alcohol.
A sampled survey 1,000 people in Essex , London, and the West Midlands conducted by researchers associated with The Eye Of Media.Com reveals that the display of calorie content of alcohol would influence some of the choices drinkers make when selecting a drink. Most don’t even consider this when buying a drink when out on a social evening with their friends. Alcoholic drinks contain plenty of calories in them, some even contain more calories than a big slice of cake.
Without the right knowledge to guide revellers, those who drink just buy what suits them at the time or whatever is bought for them without questioning it.
Many people who wish to control their weight compromise their goals a lot when they buy alcoholic drinks, more so when they consume several units of alcohol. Awareness of the calorie content will not only affect the number of pints drinkers choose to buy, it will also save their kidneys from being subjected to more damage than necessary. The failure for providing this basic information to the public is unforgivable and irresponsible of those in the position to do so.
The disappointing thing is that it would not cost anything for pubs or restaurants selling alcohol to display the calorie content of each alcoholic drink next to its name, but this can only happen if such a law is imposed by statute, and alcohol producers are forced to provide this information to consumers. PHE England told The Eye Of Media.Com today that this is not something completely new to them, but they will be renewing their efforts to exploring options on this matter.
University undergraduates in two universities Among those surveyed were University students, and customers at various pubs and bars. Some random members in the high streets of Uk towns were also surveyed. Discovering that a number of students did not even know alcohol contained calories was shocking to those of us hearing it. About 15% of University undergraduates in two universities where some of the research was conducted had no knowledge at all of the presence of calories in alcoholic drinks.
A limited 35% altogether of those surveyed said they were not aware of the presence of calories in alcohol, 25% of the other 65% who were aware of calorie content in alcohol said they never think about this when purchasing alcohol because of the absence of a break down in alcohol related drinks. Of those surveyed, 46% said their choice of alcohol drink would be informed by knowledge of calorie content if available, whilst 54% of them said it wouldn’t make a difference. The sample is not fully representative of the Uk, and more research will be done in this area.
Producers of alcohol at the moment are making a killing on sales, escaping the potential slump to revenues if the public were well informed of the calorie content in the alcoholic drinks they consume on a regular basis. The demand for alcoholic drink has always been high in the Uk, and alcohol is also known to be one of the biggest killers of young people . Reforms to raising awareness can never occurred overnight. It took years before the health hazards caused by cigarettes were compulsorily imposed on tobacco companies, but the change contributed to more people giving up smoking over the years in the Uk.
Health conscious individuals often check calorie content of food they buy before consumption, but are not afforded the same opportunity when it comes to alcohol they voluntarily consume. Public Health England can take measures to pursue statutory changes in this respect. Government attempts to educate the public on the negative effects of alcohol include the alcohol awareness website Drinkaware.co.uk, an app through which you can track the number of units and calories in your drinks.
At present, some UK alcohol companies voluntarily provide information advocating responsible drinking of their products, detailing the unit alcohol content per serving and per container. However, none display calorie or nutritional information., and this is bad.