Mercian Labels is urging UK micro breweries to review their labelling to ensure that they support the UK government’s current alcohol strategy. A large number of current beer labels on the market need to be redesigned to comply, making it an ideal opportunity to make the move to digitally printed pressure sensitive labelling.

Recent data indicates that compliance with the nine Public Health Responsibility Deal Alcohol Pledges is currently approximately 60%, with full compliance due by the end of 2013. Core labelling content needs to include three principle messages about alcohol unit content, pregnancy and alcohol and sensible drinking guidelines.  In total, there are nine pledges that breweries are asked to sign up to.

Hugo Gell, sales director of the Mercian Labels Group, commented: ‘There has been a lot of progress already by UK breweries to include this important new information on alcohol use, but inevitably it places addition commercial pressures on already tight margins to redesign and print new labels. We can help microbreweries in this process with our new Xeikon 3300 digital labelling process, which enables customers to order exactly what they need over any number of designs with no conventional printing plate charges.’

Custom printed beer bottle labels are available with a standard three day turnaround from artwork approval, with a minimum order of just £150.