Critics say new labels encourage drinking

WASHINGTON — Alcohol labels that suggest people learn about the health impact of drinking wine “serve no other purpose than to encourage people to drink and to make drinking a lifestyle activity,” a Southern Baptist specialist on alcohol and other drugs told a federal panel.

Barrett Duke, vice president of research for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), criticized new wine labels in testimony before officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Supporters and opponents of the labels testified before the panel during April 25–26 hearings in Washington.

The bureau endorsed two health-related statements in 1999, and 17 different companies received approval to include the statements in labels on 99 different wines. The ATF-approved statements suggest consumers consult either a physician or the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans to learn about the “health effects of wine consumption.”

Those guidelines, which were last published by the Department of Agriculture in 1995, suggest if people drink alcohol they do so in moderation. They cite health problems caused by too much drinking but also say: “Current evidence suggests that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk for coronary heart disease in some individuals.” Duke, whose areas of specialty for the ERLC include substance abuse, said the statements directing people to consult a doctor or the guidelines give the impression the health claims are being endorsed.