Graphic designers and printers around the country will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a major windfall if the Federal Government implements recommended health warnings to appear on beer labels.

The so-called Blewett review, commissioned from former Hawke government health minister Neal Blewett, calls for a thorough overhaul of food labelling laws, including beer. The review says there are “compelling reasons” to extend food labelling laws to all alcoholic drinks.

Recommended changes include health warnings, a kilojoule count and a full list of ingredients to appear on beer labels. Similar to what is currently required in the United States, labels would have to caution pregnant women against dangers of alcohol to unborn babies, as well as carrying a generic health warning.

“Alcohol can damage your health” or “Drinking to excess is a danger to yourself and those around you”, are among the review’s suggestions for such a message.

Surprisingly, our second-largest brewer Lion Nathan has jumped the gun in agreeing to voluntarily print health warnings on its beer labels, even before the recommendations have been debated in federal parliament.

“We believe this is the right thing to do,” Lion Nathan managing director James Brindley said.

Lion Nathan also pre-empted the listing of ingredients requirement more than two years ago, when they introduced their “natural beer promise”. This included listing the five ingredients used in their brewing process – water, malted grains, yeast, cane sugar and hops – and assuring consumers that the beers are free of artificial additives and preservatives.

Significantly, the ingredient list only appears on six of its core mainstream brands – Tooheys New, Tooheys Old, XXXX Bitter, XXXX Gold, West End Draught and Swan Draught.

“We have been required to show the alcohol percentage and standard drinks for many years,” says Malt Shovel Brewery brewmaster Dr Chuck Hahn. “A ‘drink safe’ logo has been in effect for the last couple of years and I feel these are more important than the health warning labels.”

While Malt Shovel is owned by Lion Nathan, Dr Hahn admits he is yet to come to grips with the review’s full recommendations.

“Health warnings have been on US beer labels for many years, but alcohol percentage declarations are still not required. Many US labels have over 25 per cent of their space taken up with the necessary [health warning] copy.

“At the end of the day, we might have to look at greatly increased label sizes for our beers. Just imagine for a craft beer, you need to tell the story about the beer and its ingredients, then add the health warning, nutritional wording, alcohol declaration,  standard drinks and, perhaps, ingredient list. Where will it stop?”

Some craft beer-makers, like Sydney’s inner-city St Peter’s Brewery, already list ingredients on their labels. “We want our customers to know what’s in the beer,” says St Peters owner Matt Donelan. “I guess we were proactive about pointing out that we don’t use animal products or preservatives, and that our beers are unfiltered.”

If the kilojoule count becomes compulsory many craft brewers will have to fork out to have each beer analysed. “It’s another layer of costs,” says Mountain Goat Brewery head brewer Dave Bonighton. “We don’t have a lab, so we’ve have to get all our different beers independently analysed.”

As Bonighton points out, any labeling requirements, including the existing alcohol strength and standard drinks declaration, only apply to packaged beer.

“A beer font in a pub doesn’t require any information [to be displayed] other than the brand.” He also doubts whether health warnings will produce any benefits. “I don’t know whether it’s worked with cigarettes – people still choose to smoke – but it’s all part of the nanny state thing.”