More than 27,000 mothers and health advocates have signed our petition calling for larger, more visible warning labels on alcoholic products. They were shocked to hear testimonies describing the dangers of prenatal alcohol consumption. Sophie Harrington is one of those people speaking out. The safety expert told me that in order to truly protect consumers, these warnings need to be made more pronounced. Data indicate that about half of pregnancies in Australia are unintended. This implies that countless women are drinking alcohol unknowingly while pregnant, which is partly why the call for more explicit labeling has grown in recent years.
Personal story from Geraldine Kirkcaldie, who fought a debilitating alcohol dependency during her pregnancy. She drank during her whole pregnancy, and her story shows why we need better warning labels now. Kirkcaldie argues that pregnancy warning labels should be “right in front” of consumers to prevent misunderstandings about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Right now, a mere 1 percent of assessed products put the alcohol warning on the front of their package. This lack of public visibility is deeply concerning to public health and environmental professionals, advocates, and community members.
Demand for Legislative Action
Simone Pettigrew, an alcohol industry watchdog and leading voice for stricter regulations. Simone Pettigrew is lead advocate for tighter pregnancy warning labels on alcohol. As she notes, voluntary labels created by alcohol companies are “largely ineffectual” and “invisible.” Pettigrew notes that the industry fiercely opposes moving forward with these warnings. He argues that producers are “hardly incentivized” to educate consumers about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.
Fortunately, the federal government is taking meaningful steps to address this problem. They are allowing the alcohol industry until 2020 and allowing three years for the industry to place warnings on all new products. The regulations only require that products packaged on or after August 1, 2023 have these warnings. This runs the risk of leaving older stock on shelves forever with expired labels, making it nearly impossible to assess compliance.
“It makes actual assessment of compliance really difficult,” – Simone Pettigrew
Advocates such as Harrington and Kirkcaldie believe that stronger, more direct action is required to keep mothers and their unborn children safe. Harrington thinks it would be “fantastic” to pass new legislation. This legislation would make alcohol manufacturers place health warnings on the labels in the front of all alcohol products.
Personal Accounts Highlight Risks
Moving personal testimonies, particularly from mothers, highlight the overwhelming need for clear warning labels. Having her story told on screen made Amanda, a mother who drank while pregnant, feel empowered. When she expressed concern to her doctor, the doctor laughed. She told the tale of her daughter’s debilitating separation anxiety, productive avoidance and powerful meltdowns. Amanda is convinced these challenges are a result of her drinking throughout her pregnancy.
Amanda strongly advocates for better labeling, stating, “If cigarettes can have warning labels on every single packet, then it has to be on all alcohol products as well.” She argues that the possible risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant deserve at least as much warning.
Kirkcaldie goes on to explain how we have become confused about the messages on alcohol and pregnancy. She mentioned, “You might be inclined to gamble and say, ‘A couple of drinks will be OK’, or, ‘I only drank once,’” emphasizing that many individuals do not fully understand the risks involved.
Ongoing Advocacy Efforts
For more than twenty years, health stakeholders have actively lobbied for compulsory pregnancy warning labels on all alcohol products nationwide in Australia. This community includes the National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (NOFASD). While these steps have been a move in the right direction, many advocates believe this is still insufficient to protect mothers and their babies.
Alistair Coe noted—as did others in different ways—that new products are replacing old stock on the supermarket shelves. He feels this would result in much more immediate improvement in compliance. He stated, “As these products are replaced on shelves, we should expect to get to 100 percent pretty soon.”
This is where legislative pressure and public awareness campaigns come in. Without them, thousands of women will likely still drink alcohol in the early days of pregnancy before they know they’re pregnant.
