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In a battle to fight obesity, Tennent’s has decided to start printing calories on lager cans.
The company has decided to voluntarily include the number on all new packaging to warn consumers of the health risks associated.
National health campaigners have welcomed the decision, but feel it should be mandatory for all alcohol.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “This is a positive move as many people don’t realise how many calories are in alcoholic drinks.
“A pint of lager contains more than 200 calories, so regularly drinking more than the recommended guidelines can have a noticeable impact on the waistline and other health issues.”
According to Tennent’s, a pint of their lager contains 173 calories, or 30 per 100ml. This is slightly less than the 42 calories per 100ml of Irn Bru.
Dr Peter Bennie, chairman of BMA Scotland, added: “Alcoholic drinks are a significant contributor to increasing obesity rates.
“Clear labelling should be a requirement for all drinks producers — not left up to individual firms — so everyone can make an informed choice about whether to drink alcohol.”
While Tennent’s have declined to comment on the new decision ahead of the roll out, they are understood to be already in the process of implementing the new changes to packaging.
