Finland’s National Nutrition Advisory Board has advised Finns to drink as little alcohol as possible.
“Finns are now encouraged to abstain entirely from alcohol on grounds that there is no safe level for alcohol use,” wrote Aleksi Teivainen in the Helsinki Times. “The previous guidelines set a daily limit on alcohol use of 10 grams for women and 20 grams for me, amounts that translate roughly to one and two servings.”
The wine trade responds
Finnish members of the trade are not expecting the new advice, released on 27 November 2024, to have a big impact.
“There has been a lot of discussions once the guidelines came out—in particular as the recommendation with regards to meat products has gone down significantly—but I trust the discussions will gradually fade away,” said Heidi Mäkinen MW, Portfolio Manager and Partner of wine importing company Viinitie. “For sure some follow them more strictly, but as they are guidelines only, the impact might be quite mild.”
She added that people already understand the harms of drinking to excess, “so I really don’t think these guidelines will be the reason why people are drinking less also here as elsewhere around the world. Consumption is decreasing here too, but this is due to the overall health trend, on top of likely economical reasons.”
Sommelier and restaurateur Samuil Angelov says there is already a trend towards moderation happening. “The new generation is not for alcohol or tobacco; they are much more in the trend of health and fitness. This is the trend that I see in Helsinki.”
According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, while around 450,000 people are at risk from drinking too much, overall alcohol consumption has dropped since 2008.
“In the on-trade, non-alcoholic options have been on the rise for some years now and thus becoming much more relevant as a category for hospitality professionals and sommeliers,” said Mäkinen MW.
A radical dietary overhaul
Finns are also being urged to cut down on red meat consumption and eat more legumes, partly for environmental reasons. Coffee is also under fire.
“The consumption of coffee should be reduced also on environmental grounds, with the authority reminding that coffee is one of the most environmentally damaging ingredients in the diets of Finns,” reported the Helsinki Times.
No alcohol, less coffee and as little red meat as possible. At least the Finns can still head to the sauna to help them get through the winter. Until the next guidelines come out, anyway.
