Wine industry says health warnings would make it 'global laughing stock'
The idea of putting health warnings on alcohol labels is being tested on consumers, but the wine industry fears Australia could be ridiculed globally.
Some medical research has highlighted cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption, but the wine industry thinks Australia would be a laughing stock if it resorted to more health warnings.
For many products, the label is a huge part of recognition and achieving sales, and the alcohol industry is no exception, Paul Evans of the Winemakers Federation said.
"It's one of their primary vehicles for talking to their consumer and promoting their particular approach in a very, very competitive global and domestic marketplace," he said.
Mr Evans said the wine industry would strongly oppose any move to force its products to have more health warning labels.
He said current warnings to drink responsibly and not drink during pregnancy were adequate.
"We'll not turn our precious icons into billboards for the anti-alcohol lobby and make us effectively a laughing stock as far as the global wine industry's concerned," he said.
Research checking drinkers' likely response
Emma Miller is working on research led by Flinders University in Adelaide into how consumers might respond to any labelling changes.
"[We are] asking people ... whether it would change their behaviour," Dr Miller said.
"We will be able to come up with a good list of recommendations about how best to tell people the risk between alcohol and cancer."
Dr Robert Ali of Drug and Alcohol Services SA said there were clear links between consumption levels and health risks.
"That risk commences from any alcohol consumption, it's just the gradient increases with the amount you consume," he said.
"How you communicate that to people in terms of 'What's the risk to me?' is a complex thing to do."
Dr Miller said it was always possible the three-year Flinders study might end up recommending against any more health warnings on alcohol products.
If you are 18 years or over you can take part in the Alcohol Labels Survey.
