Bill C-206 was a private member’s bill introduced in the House of Commons to amend the Food and Drugs Act and require warning labels on alcohol beverages. In its brief, Éduc’alcool presented scientific arguments against the proposed amendment. Its conclusions were very clear.
When combined with other tools and information methods, warning labels can be effective in increasing awareness of the message among certain consumers, but they are NOT effective in changing behaviours or reducing the amount people drink. Moreover, they are completely ineffective in reaching the heaviest drinkers, i.e. the primary target group.
Studies have confirmed the uselessness of warning labels on bottles. At the very most, the research allows that labels may be an information tool, but it is the least effective of all such tools. And that’s not all.
Warning labels can be unnecessarily alarming and increase levels of stress and anxiety. Some researchers even believe that it could provoke a kind of moral panic in society.
Warning labels are not a solution, since they merely serve to over-dramatize the problem; and that could lead drinkers to refute the information, which is not in keeping with what they themselves have experienced.
Also, labelling all bottles without exception creates a false sentiment that the problem has been dealt with, which is obviously not the case. Not only will consumers stop seeing the labels, they are likely even to scoff at them.
Sadly, this ineffective and useless measure may be nothing more than a pretext for relieving authorities of the need to invest in measures that actually work.
In the United States, warning labels serve more to protect the American alcoholic beverage industry than to inform consumers.
(French only)
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
To create your My Éduc’alcool account, simply sign up using the form below. You can also do it from your Facebook or Google account .
or
Already have an account? Log in!
You did not stick to the “3 standard drinks on rare occasions” part of the 2-3-4-0 formula: No more than 2 standard drinks a day, or 3 on rare occasions, with no drinking on at least one and preferably two days a week, with a maximum of 10 standard drinks a week.
You have stuck to the 2-3-4-0 formula, which means no more than 2 standard drinks a day, or 3 on rare occasions, with no drinking on at least one and preferably two days a week, with a maximum of 10 standard drinks a week.
You did not stick to the “10 standard drinks per week” and “3 standard drinks in one day on rare occasions” part of the 2-3-4-0 formula: No more than 2 standard drinks a day, or 3 on rare occasions, with no drinking on at least one and preferably two days a week, with a maximum of 10 standard drinks a week.
