Bella Sträuli, The George Institute for Global Health
If you visit a local bottle shop this Christmas season, you could be forgiven for believing that some of the pre-mixed alcohol options on the shelf are good for you. With claims like ‘low sugar’, ‘low calorie’, ‘low carb’, ‘vegan’, and ‘gluten free’, the alcohol industry is taking advantage of labelling loopholes and giving their products a “health halo”.
In fact, recent research published by my colleagues and me in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH) shows that over 50% of pre-mixed drinks sold in Australia make some form of nutrition-related claim. Our paper calls into question this misleading messaging and breaks it down by looking at almost 500 ready-to-drink products sold in three major retailers. We found that claims about energy value, sugar content, and naturalness were the most prevalent.
These nutrition-related messages mislead consumers because they suggest that there are healthy alcohol options. There is no healthy alcohol option; alcohol is associated with up to seven different types of cancers, including breast cancer. Alcohol is inherently unhealthy – it is a Class 1 carcinogen and a toxic, psychoactive substance associated with extensive socio-, psycho- and physical harms. It is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among 15–49-year-olds worldwide, and a major contributor to domestic violence, illicit drug use and other harmful behaviours.
Our latest research is also alarming because these labelling strategies could be driving higher alcohol consumption in Australia. Consumption of pre-mixed alcohol in Australia has continued to increase and is now at a record high, and pre-mixed drinks are most popular among young Australians. Hard seltzers were the worst offenders in our study, with ninety-six percent of products including at least one nutrition-related claim. It appears these products are deliberately targeting health-conscious young Australians and those who are attempting to give up or reduce their alcohol intake by misleading them into perceptions of “healthy” drinking. Advertisers wouldn’t deploy these tactics if they didn’t drive sales.
This new evidence is extremely timely, with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) currently reconsidering allowing alcohol companies to display low/no sugar claims. Up until now we didn’t know the extent of the problem – this new research tells us that this dubious trend is taking off. Over thirty percent of pre-mixed alcoholic drinks make claims on their labels related to sugar. There is an opportunity now to shut it down before it gets out of hand.
FSANZ is also currently reviewing permitting energy labelling on alcoholic beverages and the format of energy information on these products. As shown in our paper, the alcohol industry is using calories rather than kilojoules on their products, most likely so their energy numbers appear smaller, giving the impression of a healthier product. Claims about energy on pre-mixed alcohol are also common, appearing on almost a third (thirty-two percent) of the products reviewed.
We already know the impact that these claims have on consumers’ perceptions of alcohol products. Alcohol Change Australia recently conducted a nationally representative survey exploring consumers’ interpretations of these claims. Results showed that they clearly influence Australians’ views of how “healthy” an alcohol product is.
There has been a concerted effort from public health organisations around Australia, including Cancer Council, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Alcohol Change Australia, and The George Institute for Global Health, to call for regulation of misleading alcohol nutrition claims, especially the ‘low sugar’ claims which FSANZ are considering.
The release of our research on 1 December 2023 coincided with the Food Ministers’ meeting where this issue was discussed. We were encouraged to see that the Ministers have requested FSANZ “undertake further consumer research to better understand whether carbohydrate and sugar claims on alcoholic beverages are misleading consumers and influencing purchasing decisions and to inform consideration of disqualifying criteria or other potential options.”
We were also delighted to see our research, supported by the media teams at the Public Health Association of Australia and The George Institute, receive widespread news coverage across media outlets such as The Guardian, The Project, and ABC News Radio.
As Food Ministers and FSANZ continue to discuss this issue, we hope they will look at the evidence that shows how common these misleading claims are and the influence they have on alcohol use.
Consumer protection isn’t only about reducing the amount of alcohol the population has access to, but also about ensuring consumers aren’t fed misleading information. When messages like ‘low sugar’ and ‘low calorie’ exist on alcohol packages, the messages about the harms of alcohol are diluted.
Ultimately, it’s not the substance which the alcohol is mixed with that causes the health risks – it’s the alcohol itself.
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. We need better regulations around what can be advertised on alcohol in Australia. We wouldn’t allow any other cancer-causing substance to position itself as healthy, so why are we allowing it on alcohol labels?
Image credit: Breakingpic / pexels.com
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