Opportunity To Have Your Say On Health Advisory Labels On Alcohol

PRESS RELEASE

19 MARCH 2010

New Zealanders will soon have the opportunity to make submissions on whether alcohol beverages should be required to carry health warnings.

Two public meetings are being held as part of the Australia & New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council review of Food Labelling Law and policy. The Review is being conducted at the request of the Council of Australian Governments and the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council,

The meeting are being held in Wellington on 25th March and the other in Christchurch on 26th March. Registering information can be found on http://www.foodlabellingreview.gov.au/internet/foodlabelling/publishing.nsf/Content/pubconsult.

In addition, written and online submission can be made until 14th May 2010.

One of the questions posed in the consultation document is should alcohol products be regulated as a food? If so, should alcohol products have the same labelling requirements as other foods and if not, how should alcohol products be regulated?

ALAC Chief Executive Officer Gerard Vaughan said ALAC had made an application to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for mandatory labelling of all alcoholic beverage containers advising women of the potential danger of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

A number of other countries had such requirements, he said. 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 included Russia, South Korea, South Africa and France.

"While alcohol consumption in pregnancy has the potential to harm the fetus at all stages of pregnancy, it is still a commonly held belief in both New Zealand and Australia that it is acceptable to have 'a couple of drinks, a couple of times a week'," he said.

"Many women do not know of this risk, or, if they do, could benefit from a reminder of the risk at the time of planning to drink alcohol. While no-one is suggesting warning labels on their own can change behaviour, however, delivering the message repeatedly and in a number of ways, of which labelling is one, will raise awareness. It also reinforces messages from health professionals and other avenues.”

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