United Kingdom: New Measures on Labelling and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages in the Decade-Long Health Plan

On 3 July 2025, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care presented Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England to Parliament. The document outlines the government’s strategy to reform the National Health Service (NHS), based on an eight-month-long study.
The plan proposes a shift from a disease-treatment-based system to one focused on prevention, aiming to tackle some of the main causes of poor health, including smoking, obesity, unemployment, and alcohol-related harm.
According to the report, the total social cost of alcohol-related harm in England during 2021–2022 amounted to £27.4 billion. To address these effects, the government intends to make nutritional and health labelling on alcoholic beverages mandatory, aligning with existing requirements for tobacco, food, and non-alcoholic drinks. The goal is to raise consumer awareness and encourage more informed choices. The document references international experiences, such as South Korea’s, where similar measures have yielded positive outcomes.
The plan also includes a public consultation on raising the maximum alcohol content threshold for defining a beverage as “alcohol-free” to 0.5% ABV, thereby aligning with international standards. At the same time, the government will consider introducing restrictions on the sale of NoLo (no- and low-alcohol) products, including a potential ban on their purchase by individuals under 18. These measures are part of the broader activities of the licensing task force.

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Source: United Kingdom Government