The Portman Group, the UK’s alcohol marketing self regulatory body, has urged producers to include reference to ‘Low Risk Drinking Guidelines’ on their packaging. In an update to its alcohol labelling guidelines, the body stated that including the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO's) Low Risk Drinking Guidelines on labelling would constitute “minimum recommended best practice” for alcohol producers. The CMO guidance recommends adults do not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. However, the organisation has stopped short of recommending that alcohol producers include the calorie or other nutritional content of their drinks on packaging. In April last year, the UK government confirmed it was planning a consultation on whether calorie labelling on alcoholic drinks ought to be mandatory. The group has previously called for labelling to remain voluntary. Commenting on the new guidance, The Portman Group’s CEO Matt Lambert made specific reference to smaller producers adding his hope that they would “continue to market their products responsibly”. The organisation has come under fire from UK craft breweries including BrewDog and Tiny Rebel over its rulings in the past. “The Portman Group continues to set industry standards effectively, responsively, and at no cost to the public purse,” Lambert said. “We are proud of the huge progress made by the industry which already widely commits to responsible alcohol labelling. “This updated guidance will further enhance adherence, and we hope will help small producers continue to market their products responsibly.” Since first issuing its guidance in 2017, The Portman Group claims that there has been widespread, voluntary uptake of health information on alcoholic drinks labels, with 99% of products now containing a pregnancy warning message or logo, 94% demonstrating unit content and 93% displaying a responsibility message. How vodka’s marketing toolbox just became much lighter – comment