Alcohol advertising gets a new educational message Instead of “Drink our skill wisely”, commercial messages for alcoholic drinks will henceforth be accompanied by the warning “Alcohol use is harmful to your health”. The sector announced this today, but Het Belang van Limburg wrote that according to Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, nothing has been decided yet.
The main purpose of the new message is to better educate consumers about the dangers of alcohol abuse. She added: “The new message is clearer, stronger and more effective.” Moreover, the same message is already in use in France and is therefore already known to part of the Belgian population. Finally, the new communication fits into the 2023-2025 Federal Plan to Combat Harmful Alcohol Consumption.
Alcohol advertising in our country is regulated by an agreement, according to which an educational message is mandatory. The Jury of Ethical Practices (JEP) oversees the inspection and can take preventive or post-consumer complaints action. In the event of a violation, JEP can request that the advertising message be modified or its distribution stopped.
Vandenbroucke was not informed
The new logo will be mandatory for everyone as of July 1, with the exception of publications that carry the old educational message. There is still an adjustment period until January 1, 2025.
But the office of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Voroit) was not aware of this, writes Het Belang van Limburg. “This is just a proposal under consideration. The Supreme Health Council is developing different options based on scientific evidence. The Minister will eventually make his decision, perhaps in April.”
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