London, May 28 - Labels on all alcoholic drinks in Britain are to carry health warnings by the end of next year, the government announced on Monday.
Under an agreement between the government and the drinks industry, the new labels will include details on how many alcoholic units each drink contains and the recommended safe drinking levels for men and women.
Binge drinking, consuming 10 or more units in one session for men and seven or more for women, is a major public health concern in Britain. More than 7.1 million English people are hazardous or harmful drinkers, according to official figures.
"This landmark, voluntary agreement will help people calculate, at a glance, how much they are drinking and whether they are staying within sensible drinking guidelines," said Public Health Minister Caroline Flint.
"We want to make it as simple as possible for people to keep an eye on how much they are drinking and help them take the responsibility for lessening the impact excess alcohol can have on their health."
Although most people were aware of recommended daily guidelines, only 13 per cent kept a check on the number of units they drank, the government said. It said 75 per cent of the public backed the new labels.
The Department of Health said it also wanted the labelling to include recommendations for pregnant women. Last Friday, it issued new advice advising pregnant women and those trying to conceive to drink no alcohol at all.
Britain's health departments recommend men do not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and women 2-3 units daily.
A unit of alcohol is 10 ml of pure alcohol which means that a pint of ordinary strength lager or a 175 ml glass of red or white wine each contain two units of alcohol.
"This is yet another practical demonstration of retailers' responsible attitude to selling alcohol," said British Retail Consortium Director General Kevin Hawkins.
"They have been actively involved in the development of this label and the concise and simple way it sets out information gives consumers an easy way to make informed decisions about how they enjoy alcohol."