Uptake of mandated pregnancy warnings in the Australian alcoholic ready‐to‐drink beverage market

Introduction A mandatory pregnancy warning was introduced in Australia 2020 to advise the public of the potential harms of prenatal alcohol exposure. Due to industry pressure, a 3‐year implementation period was granted. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which the mandatory warning h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drug and alcohol review 2024-01, Vol.43 (1), p.165-169
Main Authors: Sträuli, Bella, Davies, Tazman, Jan, Stephen, Booth, Leon, Laznik, Nadia, Taylor, Fraser, Pettigrew, Simone
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohol
Alcohol content
Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology
Alcoholic beverage industry
Alcoholic Beverages
Australia
Brief Report
Female
health promotion
Humans
Implementation
Industry
labelling
Mandatory warnings
Pregnancy
Prenatal care
Prenatal exposure
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
prevention
Product Labeling
Uptake
Warnings
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Summary:Introduction A mandatory pregnancy warning was introduced in Australia 2020 to advise the public of the potential harms of prenatal alcohol exposure. Due to industry pressure, a 3‐year implementation period was granted. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which the mandatory warning had been applied to ready‐to‐drink (RTD) alcohol product labels almost 2 years into the implementation period. Methods The sample included 491 RTD products sold in three alcohol stores in Sydney, Australia in March–May 2022. Identified warnings were categorised as a mandated warning, a DrinkWise warning (an industry‐developed option) or ‘Other’ warning. Analyses were conducted overall and by RTD type. Results Almost all (94%) of the sampled RTD products had some form of pregnancy warning, but only 36% displayed the mandatory version. Of the non‐mandatory warnings, 74% were DrinkWise warnings (42% of total sample) and 27% were ‘Other’ warnings (15% of total sample). There was no apparent relationship between alcohol content and likelihood of displaying a mandatory warning. Discussion and Conclusions Two years into the three‐year implementation period for the mandatory pregnancy warning, only around one‐third of the assessed RTD products exhibited compliance. Uptake of the mandatory pregnancy warning appears to be slow. Continued monitoring will be required to determine whether the alcohol industry meets its obligations within and beyond the implementation period.
ISSN:0959-5236
1465-3362
DOI:10.1111/dar.13758