Health warnings on local wine labels 5 September 2007

Implementation within 18 months

The SA national Department of Health has finally published regulations which will compel all alcoholic drinks, including wine, to carry so-called ‘health warnings’. This is to come into effect within 18 months.

Responding to increasing social pressure to act against endemic alcohol abuse, the Department says it had consulted widely before compiling the set of ‘messages’ to highlight the negative effects of alcohol consumption. ‘Alcohol consumption is a major factor in cases of violence and trauma and contributes significantly to non-natural causes of death in the country,’ the Department said in a statement. The regulations are published under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act.

The ‘messages’ can be in any of the eleven official languages, but must be in the same language as that of the label, and it must be visible on a space at least one eighth of the size of the label. Among the warnings approved are: ‘Alcohol reduces driving ability, don't drink and drive’; ‘Don't drink and walk on the road, you may be killed’; ‘Alcohol increases your risk to personal injuries’; ‘Alcohol is a major cause of violence and crime’; ‘Alcohol abuse is dangerous to your health’ and ‘Drinking during pregnancy can be harmful to your unborn baby’.