Labour are proposing legal limits on the amount of caffeine in the controversial tonic wine Buckfast, it emerged yesterday.
The party’s new alcohol commission, due to be launched today, will consider following the lead of some European countries by imposing a legal limit of 150 milligrammes of caffeine per litre of alcohol.
The commission was set up to consider “new approaches to alcohol” and how to curb the link between the consumption of drinks such as Buckfast and violence.
Strathclyde Police recently said the drink was mentioned in 5,000 crime reports over three years.
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “I believe the risks involved in consuming caffeinated alcohol are so great that the Scottish Government must take action. Research suggests you are more likely to end up in hospital or be assaulted if you drink these products.”
Ms Baillie said the group would welcome evidence from organisations such as J. Chandler & Co, Buckfast’s distributors. She ruled out the commission reviewing the government’s proposals for a minimum price per unit of alcohol.
She said: “The Labour Party is against minimum unit pricing.”
Ms Baillie said the commission would consider alternative pricing mechanisms such as a social responsibility levy, local sales tax and duty. It will also consider listing the amount of caffeine on alcoholic drinks labels.
Buckfast contains 281mg of caffeine in a bottle – as much as eight cans of cola. The alcoholic drink Red Square Reloaded contains 168mg, according to Labour’s findings.
Iceland, Norway and Denmark all restrict to 150mg the amount of caffeine per litre of alcohol.
Ms Baillie said: “I think that we should learn from approaches elsewhere because Scotland isn’t the only country with the problem.
“Pulling that together in the kind of atmosphere that you generate in a commission rather than the febrile atmosphere of politicians shouting at each other about whether minimum unit pricing works or not is a much more constructive way forward.”
The commission is expected to release its findings in summer to coincide with the passage of the government’s Alcohol Bill through parliament.
Buckfast is made by Benedictine Catholic monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon and the drink distributor’s spokesman Jim Wilson accused Labour of “scaremongering”.
He recently told The New York Times: “There’s no evidence to support what they’re saying. There’s never been any reported health incidents linked to the caffeine in Buckfast.”
Mr Wilson said there was often a higher level of caffeine in medicines.
He said he would be prepared to provide evidence to the commission, however, “as long as it’s going to be constructive and they’re being sensible and not playing party politics”.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon accused Labour’s alcohol commission of obsessing about Buckfast.
She said: “This is a smokescreen to hide a blatant disregard for parliament, which is the proper place to debate the issues around the Alcohol Bill – not a hand-picked talking shop designed to delay and distract.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: “We believe that the best way to use pricing to discourage excess drinking is to target problem drinks, using excise duty, and applying it on a UK-wide basis.”