Alcohol label plan criticised

Calls for alcohol labelling to display more informa­tion on ingredients and health risks could have consequences for mer­chandising and pricing, according to Portman Group boss John Timothy.

Last month, the Alco­hol Health Alliance (AHA) claimed alcohol labelling “fails to provide consum­ers with adequate infor­mation to make healthy decisions”. Asked by Better Retailing what the AHA’s recom­mendations would mean for stores if passed as leg­islation, Timothy said: “There will be less op­portunity for retailers to differentiate and it could lead to separated areas and checkouts for alcohol.

“Other conversations around minimum unit pricing could come in. Not in the way that it’s been implemented in Scotland, but in a way where the Ex­chequer could see a further revenue opportunity.”