There is already controversy over the choice of Ireland, which could lead the way in introducing mandatory "seriously harmful to health" labels on wine bottles in the EU.
At the end of December 2022 in Brussels, the confirmation of the national authorities in being able to adopt the law which would impose the affixing of wine labels as in cigarettes containing warnings such as: " alcohol consumption causes liver disease " and " alcohol and fatal tumors are directly related ".
Despite the negative response from Italy, France and Spain and six other EU states, the following legislation could be followed in the long term by other countries.
The approval and relative dissemination of labels bearing alarmist writings such as those affixed to cigarette packets would in fact cause a double damage:
- a 23% decrease in consumption of wine and beer at the table;
- a cut of 1.3 million jobs in the agri-food export sector.
Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian wine union (Uiv) and Scordamaglia (managing director of the Italian supply chain) affirm: "A direct attack against our Italian excellence and against a model made of balance and quality". "Anyone who thinks that education in healthy eating is done with alarmist labels, from this one to Nutriscore , is not only wrong but perpetuates an antiquated approach that has always failed where it has been applied".
Despite the many oppositions from the bodies and the warning of the economic damage to which our countries would suffer, the Irish citizens are adamant, with well over 70% approval, that they want to proceed with the adoption of this law and the consequent information on the risks associated with alcohol.