Alcohol bottles will start carrying ‘don’t drink & drive’ label

All bottles containing alcoholic beverages will carry a statutory warning telling people that alcohol is harmful to health and asking them not to drink and drive. This regulation will come into force from 1 April 2019, the country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed.

Citing Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages Standards) Regulations, 2018, which will come into effect from 1 April 2019, FSSAI has in a recent order asserted that Regulation 5.12 stipulates the requirement of a statutory warning stating this: ‘Consumption of alcohol is injurious to health. Be safe — don’t drink and drive’. This is to be printed in English language on the label of alcoholic beverages. The size of this statutory warning will not be less than 3 mm.

This warning can also be printed in the local or regional language if any state desires to do so, the FSSAI has clarified, adding that “in such cases, there would be no requirement of also printing this warning in English.”

The food regulator has directed the food safety commissioners of all states and union territories to ensure that this directive is implemented uniformly, in coordination with excise departments of states.