Critics of Wine Label Proposal Misguided

The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s latest attack on the Wine Institute’s labeling proposal [“Sour News for Wine,” March 5] for wine products does a great disservice to the American public. The CSPI is distorting the scientific findings on wine and health and the impact of the label on consumers.

The Wine Institute’s label submission encourages consumers to learn the health effects of moderate wine consumption by reading the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, a 1996 governmental publication that represents official federal nutrition policy. The CSPI mistakenly claims that a recent study on alcohol and breast cancer invalidates those guidelines.

Through the selective elimination of facts, the anti-alcohol lobby group ignores dozens of worldwide studies from scientific research institutions, such as the Harvard University School of Public Health and the American Cancer Society, that find moderate drinkers at a reduced risk for heart disease and overall mortality. The link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer is still not resolved--scientists have not reached a consensus. A significant association has been found only at levels well above the government’s moderation guidelines. The medical community recommends that individuals should assess the potential risks and benefits of moderate consumption, in light of the widespread incidence of heart disease.

Additionally, the CSPI attempts to draw attention away from the guidelines’ updated message by incorrectly claiming that our label, if approved, would promote abusive drinking. In fact, an independent consumer survey, commissioned by the federal government, refutes this, indicating that 88.3% of consumers would not change their drinking patterns in response to our label. As we have consistently contended, the new scientific information is for consumer education and public policy, not marketing.

Americans have a right to know and can be trusted to handle the latest scientific findings on alcohol, the positive as well as the negative effects. The federal dietary guidelines should be widely disseminated so that consumers can make informed choices.

JOHN A. De LUCA

President

Wine Institute

San Francisco