Great concern in the made in Italy wine sector for the report on the anti-cancer plan that the Beca Commission (Beating cancer) of the European Parliament is preparing to vote next Thursday 9 December.
The alarm is raised by the Italian Wines Union which obviously shares every initiative to combat the evil of the century, however the crux of an EU report remains that generalizes on the effects of alcohol consumption, thus putting the future of a fundamental component at great risk of the Mediterranean diet such as wine, which in Italy alone provides employment to 1.3 million people.
“In the text – they explain to the Italian Wines Union – only partially amended thanks to decisive interventions in particular by Italian MEPs, it is stated without distinction that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer prevention and the EU Commission is encouraged and Member States to promote actions to reduce and prevent harm caused by alcohol in the context of a revised European strategy on alcohol ‘.
The narrow proposals, from no to advertising to the increase in taxes
These include the request to introduce health warning labels, a ban on advertising, a ban on sponsorship of sporting events, an increase in taxation and a review of the promotion policy. “Europe – said the UIV secretary general, Paolo Castelletti – has the duty to propose policies aimed at minimizing the risks related to the disease but in our opinion it is not by censoring consumption, in every kind and degree, that the problem is solved. . It is necessary to take into account the specificities of wine, which in Italy – and not only – is synonymous with moderation: we are, according to Eurostat, among the main consumers of the Continent and at the same time last in Europe, after Cyprus, for ‘heavy’ consumption episodes. of alcohol. We cannot therefore accept that in the report there is not the slightest hint of the word wine and a culture of responsible consumption which is the antithesis of binge-drinking “.
Mediterranean diet at risk?
«Targeting a general decrease in the population that drinks alcohol – added the president of the European association Wine in Moderation and vice president of UIV, Sandro Sartor – made up for the majority of cases by moderate consumers, will not help to achieve the objectives of the strategy.