Australian Health Bodies Call for Removal of 'Low Sugar' Labels on Alcohol

Leading health organizations in Australia have raised concerns about the use of "low carb" and "low sugar" labels on alcoholic beverages, urging for their removal as they believe these claims are misleading consumers into thinking that alcoholic products are healthier choices.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has initiated a review of sugar claims on alcohol labels in response to concerns from health ministers regarding the potential confusion caused by these labels.

The Cancer Council says any marketing of alcoholic drinks that implies they’re ‘healthier’ must not be permitted.

The Cancer Council, in a submission to the review, strongly opposes the permission of nutrition claims related to carbohydrates and sugars on alcoholic drinks. Their submission emphasizes that all alcoholic products increase the risk of cancer, regardless of their sugar or carbohydrate content. They assert that marketing and promoting alcoholic products in a way that suggests they are "healthier" should not be allowed, with the exception of properly identifying zero- or low-alcohol products.

This submission was developed in collaboration with various health groups, including the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Alcohol Change Australia, the Public Health Association of Australia, Dieticians Australia, and the George Institute.

Alcohol Change Australia highlighted the sobering fact that 15 people die from alcohol-related harm in Australia every day, and that alcohol consumption is causally linked to over 200 diseases and conditions, including seven types of cancer. Despite an increase in the number of people reducing or giving up alcohol, there has been little change in the proportion of people drinking at risky levels, as per the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

Hannah Pierce, the executive officer of Alcohol Change Australia, emphasized that claims like "low carb" or "low sugar" are marketing tactics and should not serve as sources of nutritional information. She advocated for providing consumers with essential information such as the number of standard drinks and total energy content in alcoholic products.

A study by Cancer Council Victoria and the public health group LiveLighter found that most low-carb beers contain similar levels of carbohydrates and kilojoules as regular beer, with the difference in kilojoules being insufficient to prevent weight gain.

Dr. Rosemary Stanton, a public health nutritionist, stressed the need for total kilojoule labeling on alcoholic beverages and supported the removal of "low carb" labels, pointing out that the primary issue with alcohol is its alcohol content.

Research conducted by the George Institute for Global Health showed that the inclusion of "low carb" and "low sugar" claims on alcoholic products led to a decreased understanding of the unhealthiness of alcohol among consumers. One in five respondents said they would consume more of an alcoholic product if it featured a low sugar claim.

The chair of Cancer Council's alcohol committee, Clare Hughes, argued that nutrition content claims regarding carbohydrates and sugars should not be allowed on alcohol products to prevent misinformation.

FSANZ has received 82 submissions as part of the labelling review and is expected to make these public later in the year. FSANZ spokesperson explained that their current code permits voluntary nutrition content claims about carbohydrate on alcoholic beverages, but there was ambiguity about whether claims about sugar, as a component of carbohydrate, were permitted. They plan to consult with various stakeholder groups to inform their final assessment, with a decision expected in 2024. This decision will then be communicated to food regulation ministers who can choose to make it a legal standard or request a review.