“VešKajPiješ?” (You know what you drink?) - mobile app for reducing alcohol related harm in Slovenia

Abstract

Abstract Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, provides that the labelling of ingredients and nutritional declaration is not mandatory for alcoholic beverages with more than 1.2% alcohol by volume. Consequently, consumers generally do not have access to similar information on alcoholic beverages as they do for food and non-alcoholic beverages. In Slovenia, drinking alcohol is a serious public health problem, both among adolescents and adults. Per capita consumption of pure alcohol in Slovenia is above the EU average. In order to achieve better results and reduce alcohol related harm, we need a comprehensive alcohol policy that incorporates proven effective measures in different areas of action. In 2019, in the frame of Slovenian programme “VesKajJes” (Know what you eat) supported by MoH, a mobile application was developed that enables consumers to scan EAN code for gaining the nutrition profile of selected food item. An analysis of the behaviour of mobile app users revealed that alcoholic beverages are one of the most frequently sought products; of all searches, as many as 36% of users wanted to get information about alcohol beverages. This was a major reason for upgrading the mobile application with information about alcoholic beverages. Additionally this newly developed communication channel will be used for raising awareness about alcohol-related harm. Mobile application “VešKajPiješ?” (You know what you drink?) will be developed within which we will: (1) collect information on at least 1,500 alcoholic beverages; (2) develop the protocol for a reliable assessment of the energy values depending of the type of alcoholic beverages; (3) prepare short health messages to raise awareness about the effects of hazardous and harmful alcohol use; (4) develop an application upgrade to show the alcohol content, energy value of alcoholic beverages, health messages and a link to a screening tool for assessing the alcohol consumption (AUDIT). Key messages There is a growing support for mandatory labelling of alcohol-containing beverages including health warnings. The program presents a solution consisting of a mobile app for consumers seeking information.