The beginning of 2023 brings with it an update of the food guidelines at the European level. From the end of January, in fact, some food derivatives based on insects will enter the market and there is also discussion on updating the labels on bottles of alcohol. The Italian economy is particularly interested in this second point, as Italy is the largest exponent of wine in the world with a turnover of billions of euros a year, and it is thought that the new addition to the label could destabilize this market. What do we currently know about the alcohol component? We know that excessive consumption of alcohol, including wine, is a certified risk factor for several pathologistsand which specifically affect liver or brain pathologies but also at a systemic level where the correlation with a increased consumption is directly proportional to the increase in cancer cases (esophagus, liver, breast and colorectal). The criticism derives from the fact that Ireland has made itself virtuous for having proposed to insert on the label of spirits and spirits the indication of attention to the risks that alcohol consumption brings, specifying to eliminate consumption especially during pregnancy. To give a practical example, the same guidelines we see on cigarette packs would apply, but without the images.
The danger is around the corner for those who exceed in consumption, we need awareness
For several years now on cigarette packets phrases or recommendations regarding the dangers of smokingor, but to be honest today we smoke less because of the cost that tobacco and cigarettes have reached, not because there is more information on the package. Informing the consumer is never wrong, not even in this case.
Adding or not adding information to the label is purely a political matter. Those who abuse alcohol will continue to do so, those who drink them occasionally will not change their habitsthe. Updating the labels on the risks that alcohol has does not turn it into a ban on the sale/purchase of the product, but into one more informed sale/purchase. After all, it is not producers or states who decide how to classify spirits. The directions come straight from WHO classifies alcohol as a carcinogen in the same class with benzene and asbestos (A1). On a female subject who regularly consumes one or two units of alcohol per day, those that are currently allowed by the same guidelines, increase the possibility of developing breast cancer by up to 27%.
WHO classifies alcohol as a carcinogen
And who praised the benefits of wine? We come from a type of rural culture, the post-war period has greatly affected our way of thinking and eating, and many beliefs die hard. The story they tell us about resveratrol, a phenol associated with good cardiovascular functioning, cannot be related to wine, as the quantity necessary to have a beneficial effect on the body would be found in hundreds of liters to be consumed daily, and this would definitely be a practice that any doctor would advise against. Resveratrol can also be found in blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, peanuts and above all in the skin of grapes, and hence the association with wine, forgetting that, however, wine is not made with the must (skins) but with the juice . So what dose of alcohol could we take without consequences? The answer to this question has been known for some time, and obviously the answer is zero.
The use of wine increases risk factors, the buyer needs to be held responsible
Any dose consumed in a person's lifetime causes risk factors to increase. We know this and we accept it when we treat ourselves to a glass of beer or wine for parties, in company, for an anniversary or simply for pleasure. Adding this information to the label can only make the buyer responsible, who will continue to accept that risk at the time of purchase. Nothing more. Is Italy really risking something in terms of turnover due to a drop in exports? Only the market can answer this answer, but considering that the trend of purchases of Italian products in Italy and abroad is increasing, I don't think we should worry. I would also like to remind you that the damage caused by alcohol is not only directed at those who consume it, but there are also indirect or secondary damages concerning road accidents, which have a direct correlation with alcohol abuse, especially among young people.
