Bottles of wine at the SAQ in Montreal on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
OTTAWA – Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett says Canadians deserve to know how much alcohol is in a standard-sized drink, but she is not committing to mandate that companies put that information on their labels.
Bennett’s comments come a few weeks after the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction issued new advice about how much alcohol is safe to consume.
The centre says limiting yourself to no more than two standard drinks a week will help you avoid alcohol-related health consequences.
The guidance also says alcohol bottles and cans should have mandatory labels explaining health risks and information about what a standard size drink is.
Bennett says people should be given that information when they buy alcohol but she is hoping the industry takes on the labelling issue itself.
She says companies moved to remove the chemical BPA from plastic water bottles after an outcry over the health effects more than a decade ago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2023.
