Alcohol bottles to have warning signs?
Liquor firms may be forced to put warning signs on bottles
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Rebuffed over its latest efforts to control rising alcohol abuse - a complete ban on liquor advertising - the Public Health Ministry has proposed another aggressive idea.
With the Council of State ruling the advertising ban illegal, the ministry has decided to adopt an anti-tobacco weapon which involves the use of warning pictures depicting the ugly side-effects of smoking.
It is preparing to put forward a proposal to force liquor companies to put warning pictures on labels.
The committee tasked with controlling alcohol consumption was planning to include the step in its latest package of measures aimed at curbing liquor abuse, Dr Narong Sahamethaphat, the deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said.
If endorsed by the Cabinet, warnings would be put on alcoholic beverages, including pictures showing the risks and harm associated with drinking alcohol and strongly worded text similar to that on cigarette packets, he said.
Narong, a member of the committee, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would draft this part of the proposal.
A source from the FDA, which had originally proposed the advertising ban, said current text warnings on liquor containers were directed by the Food Act of 1979. There were three approved warning messages, including selling alcohol to people under 18.
If the alcohol control committee wanted to impose new warnings for labels, it would need to get approval to issue a new announcement under the Food Act.
But before it could do that, it would need to consider the opinions of all concerned parties including the alcohol companies, while providing strong evidence and statistics to back it up.
Then it would be required to circulate the draft of the announcement to member countries of the World Trade Organisation for comment.
"The chance of getting permission for such an announcement is extremely slim," said a source familiar with the procedure.
"Still, it's quite the wrong way to go. If the aim is to curb alcohol consumption, [it should be remembered] drinkers tend not to pay attention to warning labels before buying or drinking."
Arthit Khwankhom
The Nation
Major liquor firms suggest voluntary ad guidelines
Major liquor firms suggest voluntary ad guidelines
WORANUJ MANEERUNGSEE
An alliance of major alcohol producers and importers yesterday released recommendations for voluntary advertising guidelines, to reduce young people's exposure to alcohol promotions. The alliance comprises Bacardi (Thailand) Ltd, Riche Monde (Bangkok) Ltd, Pernod Ricard (Thailand) Ltd, Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Ltd and Siam Winery Trading Plus Ltd.
The concept of voluntary guidelines was introduced in November as the government began a push for a total ban on the advertising of alcoholic beverages.
A statement issued by the liquor industry alliance said the guidelines committee assessed each communications channel using the AC Nielsen Media Index _ which covers TV, radio, newspapers and magazines _ to determine the percentage of young viewers for various programmes and media categories, and the media ratings of the Culture Ministry and the Public Relations Department.
They set a benchmark that there should be no alcohol advertising if 25% or more of the audience of a particular programme or media category were aged below 20 years.
The 25% figure was an international benchmark used in many markets worldwide by alcohol producers.
The liquor industry committee would review the AC Nielsen data every six months to ensure that programmes and media categories remain above this benchmark, the statement said.
For marketing channels where AC Nielsen data was not available, the committee evaluated how underage consumers could be exposed to alcohol advertising and then identified ways to eliminate or reduce this exposure.
For television advertising, the biggest medium, the guidelines suggest no advertising for alcoholic beverages during Thai drama series after 10pm, because the AC Nielsen Media Index reports that more than 25% of the viewers of these series are underage.
It also suggests there would be no alcohol advertising at any time on stations for which more than 25% of listeners are underage consumers.
For the print media, it recommends an end to liquor advertising in entertainment publications, as the rating agency reports that more than 25% of readers in this category are also underage consumers. Advertisers should send only socially positive messages with no consumer promotions and ensure there is always the legal warning equal to 20% of the ad space as required by law
Bangkok Post
