This week · UK food and drink
Alcohol labelling consultation on the way: the latest news for UK food and drink marketers
Mandatory health warnings on alcohol in England are moving from promise to consultation. Two recent stories show where scrutiny of drinks marketing is heading: pitch-side branding and 'bottomless' promotions.
In short
DHSC says it is working towards a consultation in late 2026 on mandatory nutritional information and health warnings on alcohol labels, with rotating warnings among the options.
Drinks brands should start checking label lead times now, prepare to respond, and review promotional content against the ASA's BrewDog ruling.
The alcohol labelling consultation: what has been committed
The government's 10-Year Health Plan promised a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
In a written answer to Parliament tabled on 10 February 2026, DHSC said it is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026. It will set out the options under consideration, for the public and businesses to respond to.
A further answer on 2 March 2026 said officials are assessing options, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement. It added that the National Cancer Plan reiterated the commitment.
That answer followed a question on the feasibility and cost of rotating health warnings, including for long-lifecycle products such as wine. Rotating warnings are clearly on the table.
One honest caveat. We have not found a newer DHSC announcement than these answers. Check GOV.UK for the latest position.
Where the law stands today, and who is pushing which way
Today, alcoholic drinks only have to show liquid volume, ABV and allergen information. There is no legal requirement for drinking guidelines, health warnings, ingredients or calories.
An Alcohol Health Alliance and Alcohol Focus Scotland audit found full nutritional information on only 13.4% of products. They want units per serving and per container, pregnancy warnings and rotating health warnings, including cancer warnings.
The trade is lobbying. Citing the FT, the Institute of Alcohol Studies reported that DHSC met more than two dozen producers and trade bodies on 27 January, including Diageo, the British Beer & Pub Association and the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. Industry figures were concerned about explicit cancer warnings and that rotating labels could raise production costs and reduce sales.
In July 2025, Portman Group CEO Matt Lambert said the labels 'may be disproportionate when overall alcohol consumption is falling'. The WSTA said many wine and spirit products already carry calorie information and the majority show units.
For comparison, campaign group CancerWatch says Ireland has legislated for mandatory health warnings on alcohol labels, due to come into force in 2028.
This is a summary, not legal advice.
World Cup study: nine harmful-product logos a minute
Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Oxford published a study on 22 September 2026. It analysed all 172.6 hours of live play across the tournament's 104 matches.
It counted branding inside the match footage, such as pitch-side hoardings, not commercial breaks. More than 93,000 visible appearances of brands promoting unhealthy food and drink, alcohol, gambling and speculative products were recorded.
Food and drink brands accounted for some 65,722 appearances, or 70.4% of all branding identified. Alcohol brands appeared 9,266 times.
On average, viewers saw nine logos for brands associated with health or financial harm per minute of live play. For the UK, the researchers estimated 267 billion impressions across the 53 broadcasts with audience data.
The plain point: sponsorship and in-stadium branding are now being measured like advertising. Expect that to feed the policy debate.
ASA bans BrewDog's 'bottomless' beer ads
The ASA ruled against two paid-for Facebook posts by BrewDog, seen in July 2026. One read: 'BOTTOMLESS BEER ALERT! Celebrate with 90 minutes of unlimited fresh beer for just £19.95 in England this weekend! Who's in?'
The first ad breached the CAP Code by portraying alcohol as capable of changing mood. The ASA noted the men's expressions became 'noticeably more satisfied and positive' after drinking.
Both ads were found socially irresponsible and to imply, condone or encourage excessive consumption. The ASA said consumers would read the sequence of different beers as a sign of how much could be drunk, and that both ads presented excessive drinking as a 'desirable way to use the promotion'.
BrewDog said the wording was meant to be 'informal and humorous'. It said it was committed to complying with advertising standards and had removed the ads.
This is a summary, not legal advice.
What to plan for now
None of this needs panic. It needs a list and an owner.
- Audit label and packaging lead times now, especially for wine and other long-life stock. Rotating warnings would hit slow-moving lines hardest.
- Decide who will write your consultation response and book the time for late 2026. Work with your trade body, but have your own costs ready.
- Check what your labels already show: units, calories, ingredients. The WSTA argument rests on brands already doing this voluntarily.
- Review promotions and social posts against the BrewDog ruling. Watch for 'unlimited' or 'bottomless' wording, quick multi-drink sequences and before-and-after mood shifts.
- Keep alcohol copy product-first: the drink, the taste, the pairing. Not the effect.
- If you sponsor sport, expect closer scrutiny of pitch-side and in-broadcast branding.
One practical note
Rules only work if every draft is checked against them before it goes live. Ziild CMO applies alcohol advertising rules as house rules on every output, with a human yes before anything is published.
Questions people ask
When is the alcohol labelling consultation?
DHSC told Parliament in February 2026 that it is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026. No exact date has been confirmed in the sources we found, so check GOV.UK.
What must alcohol labels in England show today?
Only liquid volume, ABV and allergen information are legally required. Drinking guidelines, health warnings, ingredients and calories are not. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Will warnings rotate?
It is an option under consideration. MPs have asked DHSC about the feasibility and cost of rotating warnings, including for long-lifecycle products such as wine, and officials are assessing options.
Why were BrewDog's ads banned?
The ASA found one ad portrayed alcohol as changing mood, and both were socially irresponsible and implied or encouraged excessive drinking, partly through 'bottomless' wording and a sequence of beers. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Sources
- UK Parliament written answer UIN 112537, 10 February 2026
- Parallel Parliament: Alcoholic drinks labelling, answer 2 March 2026
- Institute of Alcohol Studies, Alcohol Alert January 2026
- Alcohol Health Alliance: Alcohol products keep consumers in the dark
- Just Drinks: UK plan proposes mandatory health warning labels
- CancerWatch: Health labelling on alcohol
- University of Bristol: World Cup viewers study
- ESM Magazine: World Cup viewers exposed to unhealthy food and drink branding
- Euronews: World Cup fans exposed to junk food, alcohol and gambling ads
- ASA ruling on Tilray Brands UK Ltd
- Morning Advertiser: BrewDog bottomless beer ads banned by ASA
- Marketing Week: Socially irresponsible BrewDog ads banned
- STV: BrewDog bottomless beer adverts banned
- The Grocer: BrewDog rapped over socially irresponsible Facebook adverts
Written by the Ziild machine from the sources above and approved by Pasi before publishing. Spotted an error? pasi@ziild.co.uk