Multi-coloured pregnancy warnings on alcoholic beverages will be mandatory in Australia after the Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation accepted new standards proposed by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
Key points:
- New coloured warning labels will sit underneath a heading reading ‘Pregnancy warning’ and will be mandatory
- Alcohol industry representatives are ‘deeply disappointed’, but have three years to implement changes on labels
- Clinicians say labels will help reduce incidence Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
New warning labels will need to be printed in red, black and white, and will sit underneath a heading reading ‘Pregnancy Warning’.
The alcohol industry said it supported making warnings mandatory but warned that mandating the use of colours would be costly.
Foundation of Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) CEO, Caterina Giorgi, said the changes would help reduce Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
“We’re really pleased that today ministers have decided to support this label, and that it’s a label that is visible, and a label that will clearly communicate the risks of harms of consuming alcohol when pregnant,” she said.
A win for campaigners and Human Rights Commissioner
Ms Giorgi said the move toward more prominent labels would do more than just raise awareness of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
“This is really important for the whole community,” she said.
The news was also welcomed by Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar.
Prior to the vote, Commissioner Oscar wrote to the Ministerial Forum compelling members to pass the reforms, arguing it was an easy step to take to improve health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Alcohol industry representatives ‘deeply disappointed’
Australian Grape and Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene, said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the decision.
“We were hoping for a pragmatic solution that would have delivered benefits to those people at risk, and also provide an economical solution for business,” he said.
Under the new regulations, alcohol producers will have three years to update their labels to the new standard.
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Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/pregnancy-warnings-on-alcohol-now-mandatory/12468822
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the FASD Prevention Conversation Project, its stakeholders, or funders.