The EU proposes to include health warnings on the bottles associating that excessive drinking can cause cancer
In addition to the difficulties of the wine sector, the impact of Covid-19 and the increase in prices, there is now the change in the labeling of alcoholic beverages proposed by the European Parliament. The initiative is part of a new plan to fight cancer, whose objectives include reducing alcohol consumption. “It is a major public health problem in the EU. In 2016, the main cause of deaths attributable to alcohol was cancer, with a share of 28%”, according to the document.
To this end, the Commission will review its policy for the promotion of alcoholic beverages and propose a mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and the nutritional declaration on the labels of alcoholic beverages before the end of the year. For the next, it is proposed to include health warnings.
The wine sector shares concern about the European Commission’s proposal. The rejection is also unanimous. For Miguel Gil Vera, co-director of Bodegas Juan Gil de Jumilla, it is an “aberration. Wine is not comparable with tobacco or distillates, because drunk in moderation it is healthy. I’m not going to say that drinking is good, but when wine is consumed in moderation, it benefits health, as many scientific studies maintain,” argues the businessman whose group has eleven wineries in as many appellations of origin belonging to the group Gil Family Vineyards.
From the regional government they denounce that the modification of the labeling of alcoholic beverages should not go ahead because it can considerably reduce consumption. “An image like that of cigarette packs, or a forceful message linking cancer and wine, would generate uncertainty among consumers,” according to the director of, Antonio Luengo.
For now, next Friday he will hold a meeting with representatives of the sector to materialize the consequences of this change in a document, in order to continue the formal course of the claims.
This is how they see it in the appellations of origin
Francisco Carreño (Bullas): “Various scientific studies support the benefits of moderate wine consumption for health and well-being”
The president of the PDO Bullas, Francisco Carreño, perceives a “contradiction” between the European Union’s labeling proposal and the different scientific studies that support the health benefits of responsible wine consumption. «The warning raised by the European Commission prevents the growth of the sector and discourages consumption. There are many products that can be dangerous and carcinogenic due to disproportionate use. Vehicles are risky, and no one thinks of attaching the ‘danger of death’ label to them. On the contrary, it is committed to road awareness to achieve safer driving, “explains Carreño. While the mystery of the new labeling is resolved, the producers continue to face the increase in prices and the shortage of raw materials, still without a solution. “Profit margins are reduced. The increase in costs cannot be reflected in the final price of the bottle”, points out the president of the PDO Bullas, made up of 12 wineries.
Carolina Martínez (Jumilla): “It is an important engine for the food industry, which favors territorial roots and sustainability”
“There are no precedents for a food, an agricultural product, to incorporate this type of labeling about the possible harmful effects on health of excessive consumption. A caveat that doesn’t even incorporate junk food. Therefore, we cannot foresee the consequences that this initiative will have for farmers and producers,” says Carolina Martínez, secretary of the Jumilla PDO. For the 42 wineries that make up this denomination of origin, it is “unfair” to equate wine with tobacco or any other drug. «These types of actions serve nothing more than to demonize the wine sector, which plays an important role in the agri-food industry. In addition to its contribution to the economy, employment and exports, it favors territorial roots, which makes it an engine for environmental conservation and rural development. The wine sector is the perfect ally in the fight against climate change”, laments Martínez.
Rafael Verdú (Yecla): “This food, which is part of our culture, provides multiple social and economic benefits”
Rafael Verdú, president of the PDO Yecla, insists that wine is much more than a drink. «Culture and tradition are present in the origin of this food, the protagonist of many after meals and essential in a balanced and varied diet, mainly in the Mediterranean». “We must educate in the responsible and prudent consumption of food. Excessive protectionism is unnecessary and can have serious consequences. If we look around everything, chickpeas can also be harmful if eaten in excess. Why not better tell us about the benefits of wine and educate people so that they consume this food with their heads? », asks the president of the Yecla denomination of origin, made up of nine wineries. “Criminalizing a food in this way only harms it. Experience tells us that an important part of the sector may disappear, as has happened before with other foods that have gone through the same”, concludes Verdú.
#wine #sector #fears #drop #consumption #due #European #labeling