Tories look to harness “social norms” to change behaviour and improve public health

The conservatives have vowed to replace the “misunderstood units system” for alcoholic drinks with one that refers instead to centilitres of alcohol drinks contain. Labels on alcoholic drinks will also show their calorie content and the amount of the drink consumed by an average person in a week.

The move is a bid by the party to harness “the power of social norms” to tackle public health problems including binge drinking, obesity, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse, which is outlined in a green paper entitled, “A Healthier Nation.”

Other plans to curb binge drinking include increasing tax on what the conservatives see as problem drinks, such as alcopops and super strength beers, and imposing a tougher licensing regime on problem …