Health warning labels for alcohol
Alcohol warning labels will become mandatory in New Zealand and Australia, answering the pleas of health professionals.
Members of the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation met in Adelaide yesterday to vote whether alcohol manufacturers would be forced to put warnings on their products stating that it’s dangerous to drink while pregnant.
Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor announced that the labels would become mandatory.
‘‘While the alcohol industry has been voluntarily including warnings on some products for the past six years there is no consistency in the type, colour, size and design, reducing the effectiveness of the message.’’
There had been ‘‘strong and sound support’’ from a range of groups, he added. ‘‘Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy complications and can cause permanent damage to the brain and body of the developing foetus.
‘‘A standard message that is clear and consistent on the importance of not drinking while pregnant will be easy to implement and benefit all New Zealanders,’’ the minister said.
Calls for mandatory labelling has been spearheaded by the Western Australian Government with the support of several health organisations.
It would force alcoholic beverage makers to display clear warnings on their products stating that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women.
Currently, the labelling scheme is voluntary but public health advocates on both sides of the Tasman have said that’s not enough.
O’Connor said hundreds of babies a year were born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder because of exposure to alcohol in the womb. ‘‘We need to take every action to reduce this harm.’’
National Addiction Centre director Professor Doug Sellman said he hoped the labels would be ‘‘strong messages’’ about alcohol harm – not ambiguous.
Labelling was a step in the right direction, but Sellman also wanted to see a clampdown on alcohol marketing.
Alcohol Beverages Council executive director Nick Leggett said the majority of alcohol products already had labels but the vote meant a standard that could be consistently applied.