The campaign has been developed by The Wine and Sprit Association (WSTA) and The Drinkaware Trust (Drinkaware) and has been designed to complement the government’s ongoing ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign on unit awareness.

Consumers will be provided with advice and guidance at the point of sale via stickers and posters that will outline the alcohol content of individual drinks, as well as provide tips and hints about how to enjoy alcohol in a non-harmful manner.

Some of the key ‘Know your drinks” messages at point of sale include:

• One 125ml glass of 12% alcohol by volume wine equals 1.5 units
• One 440ml can of 4.1% alcohol by volume beer equals 1.8 units
• Enjoy your units responsibly.

Messaging will be extended to also include tips such as:

Enjoy alcohol responsibly. Mix in a few soft drinks to help pace your evening and when you do drink, have a bite to eat to help dilute the alcohol.

All of the above messages is in line with government advice to consumers that it is not recommended to regularly exceed daily unit guidelines which are:

2-3 units for women and 3-4 units for men.

All materials will also encourage consumers to visit drinkaware.co.uk, where consumers can find out more about units and how to enjoy alcohol more responsibly.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo, said: “To make an informed choice about alcohol, people need clear and accessible information. This campaign is a good example of industry taking responsibility for their sales and empowering the customer to make better choices.”

Jeremy Beadles, Chief Executive of the WSTA, said: “This marks another step by the drinks industry to communicate the message on sensible drinking to consumers and encourage responsible behaviour. Alcoholic drinks are meant to be enjoyed and it’s right that consumers should have helpful information and advice to hand.”

Derek Lewis, Chairman of the Drinkaware Trust, said: “This campaign is all about giving consumers access to practical knowledge about alcohol at the time of purchase. In the long run, reinforcing messages about units and safe levels of drinking will play a part in creating a more responsible culture in the UK.”

The campaign will be extended into Christmas, where seasonal messages about alcohol will take centre stage during a period of the year when alcohol intake increases substantially.

ENDS