Web QHA Review Nov reduced

NEWS
PREGNANT?
EVERYTHING IN
MODERATION.
DRINK SENSIBLY.
PREGNANCY LABELLING
At a Forum on Food Regulation in October this year,
Australian and New Zealand ministers met and agreed
that: “a mandatory labelling standard for pregnancy
warning labels on packaged alcoholic beverages
should be developed and should include a pictogram
and relevant warning statement. The Forum requested
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
develop this mandatory labelling standard as a priority
and that the work be completed expeditiously.
DrinkWise Australia, who is an Australian social change
organisation created to bring about a healthier and
safer drinking culture in Australia, have long promoted
the National Health and Medical Research Council’s
alcohol guideline; namely that It’s safest not to drink
while pregnant for many years via alcohol product
labels, retail point-of-sale and within medical clinics.
DrinkWise developed these consumer information
messages for alcohol labels to assist Australian
consumers better understand the facts about alcohol
consumption.
Since they were introduced by Drinkwise in 2011,
many businesses across the beer, wine and spirits
industries adopted this messaging on labels.
Thankfully, the above mentioned ministerial Forum
recognised the efforts of a large segment of the
respective industries who voluntarily adopted
pregnancy labelling. In recognition of these efforts,
the Forum called for comprehensive consultation and
appropriate transition timelines and stock-in-trade
exemptions on new arrangements.
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