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Health Evidence Network Synthesis Report, No. 68
Eva Jané-Llopis, Daša Kokole, Maria Neufeld, Omer Syed Muhammad Hasan, and Jürgen Rehm.
The WHO European Region has the highest levels of alcohol consumption per capita in the world, yet alcohol labelling, a WHO-recommended practice that provides consumer information on the ingredients, nutritional values and harms of alcohol, is not mandatory. This report synthesizes evidence on alcohol labelling practices in the Region and aims to describe factors affecting implementation. To date, the introduction of alcohol labelling policy as part of a larger package of alcohol policy measures created with strong political support and consumer pressure has proved successful in providing consumers with information, although practices have been hindered by slow procedures in some parts of the Region, opposition from international institutions and the alcohol industry, and the lack of set labelling specifications and monitoring activities. Policy considerations for the development of successful labelling legislation should ideally address both health information and nutritional information, ensure regulated message presentation and implement independent monitoring and evaluation of measures.
Jané-Llopis E, Kokole D, Neufeld M, Hasan OSM, Rehm J. What is the current alcohol labelling practice in the WHO European Region and what are barriers and facilitators to development and implementation of alcohol labelling policy? Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2020 (Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report 68).
The Health Evidence Network
The Health Evidence Network (HEN) is an information service for public health decision-makers in the WHO European Region, in action since 2003 and initiated and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe under the umbrella of the European Health Information Initiative (a multipartner network coordinating all health information activities in the WHO European Region).
HEN supports public health decision-makers to use the best available evidence in their own decision-making and aims to ensure links between evidence, health policies and improvements in public health. The HEN synthesis report series provides summaries of what is known about the policy issue, the gaps in the evidence and the areas of debate. Based on the synthesized evidence, HEN proposes policy options, not recommendations, for further consideration of policy-makers to formulate their own recommendations and policies within their national context.
The Alcohol and Illicit Drugs programme
The Alcohol and Illicit Drugs programme is driven by the strategic objectives to reduce the burden attributable to alcohol consumption, increase equity and increase participatory governance of health, as called for in the WHO strategies and action plans for reducing the harmful effects of alcohol, in particular, and of noncommunicable diseases in general. The activities and products reflect Member States' requests for support and recognize the need for health policies, interventions and systems to be more responsive to the alcohol-attributable burden in the WHO European Region. The programme collaborates directly with other technical programmes based at the WHO Regional Office for Europe in all of its activities, and is under the guidance of the Head of the WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.
WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
The WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office) is a geographically dispersed office of the Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health through the Life-course. It is driven by the strategic objectives to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), increase equity and increase participatory governance of health, as called for in the WHO strategies and action plans for the prevention and control of NCDs. The activities and products of the NCD Office reflect Member States' requests for support and recognize the need for health policies and systems to be more responsive to the NCD burden in the WHO European Region. The NCD Office collaborates directly with the technical programmes based at the Regional Office for Europe in all of its activities.
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ISSN 2227-4316
ISBN 978 92 890 5489 8
© World Health Organization 2020
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Suggested citation. Jané-Llopis E, Kokole D, Neufeld M, Hasan OSM, Rehm J. What is the current alcohol labelling practice in the WHO European Region and what are barriers and facilitators to development and implementation of alcohol labelling policy? Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2020 (Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report 68).
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