Doctors In Call For Calorie Labels On Alcohol

Alcohol should and have labels detailing its calorie content, according to the Royal Society for Public Health.

The society's doctors have warned that a large glass of wine can contain the same number of calories as a doughnut - while four pints on a night out is equal to two-and-a-half burgers and will take around 73 minutes of running to burn-off.

The average adult drinker gets around 10% of their calorie intake from alcohol and experiments have found drinkers consume 400 fewer calories during a night at the pub when their drinks display calorie labels.

Any reduction in calorie intake could make a massive difference to waistlines in the UK, which is among the most obese nations in the world.

But RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer said 80% of adults were unaware of the calorie count in what they were drinking, such as a 250ml glass of wine - which has between 170 and 230 calories.

There are around 180 calories in a pint of lager - the same as a slice of pizza needing a two-mile walk to burn off. A pina colada clocks in at 450 calories - equivalent to a cheeseburger, which will take 1.5 hours of cycling to burn off.

Around two-thirds of those surveyed said they would support the introduction of calorie labelling on alcohol and the European Commission is set to decide by December on extending food labelling laws to include alcohol products.

Ms Cramer said: "With two in three adults overweight or obese and given that adults who drink get approximately 10% of their calories from alcohol, this move could make a major difference to waistlines of the nation."

The Portman Group, which represents drinks manufacturers, said calorie information is on the Drinkaware website and that it was "open to further discussions" about labeling.

But it added: "However, it is essential that alcohol content, not calorie content, should primarily inform consumer decision-making."

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: "A calorie-count on wine and beer bottles can't come soon enough."