Health advisory labels on alcoholic beverages
FSANZ has been working on two projects that involve the labelling of alcoholic beverages. The first project came from the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council (the Ministerial Council) request for us to consider mandatory health advisory statements on packaged alcohol to help curb alcohol misuse. We have now completed a review on the effectiveness of labelling in relation to high risk drinking.
The second project is Application A576, an application to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code) to require health advisory statements on the labels of packaged alcoholic beverages advising of the risks of consuming alcohol when planning to become pregnant and during pregnancy. We are continuing work on this project.
Health advisory statements on packaged alcohol to help curb alcohol misuse
In May 2008, the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council asked us to consider mandatory health warnings on packaged alcohol in the context of the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) concerted approach to reducing alcohol misuse, including ‘binge drinking’. Consideration of health warnings will form part of the broader National Binge Drinking Strategy being developed by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy.
We commissioned an independent comprehensive literature review of the evidence relating to the effectiveness of health advisory statements on the labels of alcoholic beverages as a strategy for alerting the community to the dangers of alcohol misuse. The aim of the review was to determine the effectiveness of health advisory statements in enhancing public awareness of the issues and ultimately reducing alcohol misuse.
The Food Regulation Ministerial Council considered the literature review at their meeting on 1 May 2009 and agreed to provide the review to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. This will enable a single and coordinated response to COAG as part of its broad and comprehensive approach to reduce binge drinking.
As we have completed the work requested, any further work on this project by FSANZ is dependent on further advice from the Food Regulation Ministerial Council.
How can I keep in touch with progress with this project?
Progress on the National Binge Drinking Strategy can be found at the website of the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy.
Application A576 – Labelling of alcoholic beverages with a pregnancy health advisory label
Who made the Application and what is it about?
We received the Application to amend the Code to require pregnancy health advisory statements on the labels of alcoholic beverages from the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand in 2006.
There is evidence that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can be associated with varying degrees of harm to the unborn child. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the wide range of effects on the foetus from drinking alcohol when pregnant. The applicant believes that health advisory labels on alcoholic beverage containers are an essential part of a much wider public health strategy aimed at increasing awareness of the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
Progress made on this project
We released a discussion paper for an eight-week period of public comment in December 2007 (see the Initial Assessment Report at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/A576_IAR_Alcohol_labelling_FINAL.doc ).
Ninety-nine submissions were received. We have collated and evaluated the information provided by submitters.
In order to inform our considerations around this project we have commissioned two independent reports. The first report is a comprehensive literature review of the evidence relating to the effectiveness of health advisory statements on the labels of alcoholic beverages as a strategy for alerting the community to the dangers of drinking alcohol when pregnant.
Secondly, we are carrying out a cost effectiveness study. Apart from labelling, this study will also consider other strategies for increasing awareness of the risk of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
Will there be opportunities for public comment?
If we decide to recommend mandatory labelling of alcoholic beverage containers with pregnancy health advisory labels, a Draft Assessment Report for Application A576 would be released for public comment in the first half of 2010.
If you would like to be notified of the opportunity to provide comment please contact standards.management@foodstandards.gov.au .
How can I keep in touch with progress with Application A576?
We will report progress with Application A576 on our website (see http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/standardsdevelopment/ ).
Do other countries require health advisory statements on alcoholic beverages?
Yes, some countries do. The United States has had such a requirement in place since 1989 for labelling both in relation to pregnancy and general harm from excess alcohol consumption.
Other countries requiring health advisory statements on labels about the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy include Russia, South Korea, South Africa and France. Some countries have considered the need for advisory statements about the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, and have decided not to make these mandatory, e.g. Canada and Finland.
A number of other countries (e.g. Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico) require more general health advisory statements, such as ‘excess alcohol is damaging to your health’.
September 2009