Health warning for alcoholic drinks

In a voluntary agreement between ministers and the industry, all drinks will be expected to carry details of units and recommended safe drinking levels on their labels by the end of 2008.

At present, bottles and cans carry percentage details of alcohol and most carry unit information. But the Government now wants safety advice for pregnant women put on there as well as the recommendations for safe drinking.

One unit is equivalent to a small glass of wine, half a pint of beer or one pub measure of spirits. The Government recommends that men do not regularly exceed three or four units a day and women do not exceed two or three units a day.

The move comes amid fears about the rise in binge drinking and an increase in alcohol-related diseases and death. Last week, the Government issued new guidance saying pregnant women and those trying to conceive should not drink at all.

The new labels will include the drink's unit content and the recommended safe drinking levels. For beer, wines and spirits, unit information will be given per glass and per bottle.

The charity website - www.drinkaware.co.uk - will also be included on the labels.

The Government said it would ask manufacturers to include the words "avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive".

Public health minister Caroline Flint said: "This landmark, voluntary agreement will help people calculate, at a glance, how much they are drinking and whether they are staying within sensible drinking guidelines.

"We want to make it as simple as possible for people to keep an eye on how much they are drinking and help them take the responsibility for lessening the impact excess alcohol can have on their health."