Amendment to the Sobriety Education Act: Mandatory alcohol warnings for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Public consultations underway.

Contents

The Senate has prepared a draft amendment to the Act on Sobriety Education and Counteracting Alcoholism, which requires producers and distributors of alcoholic beverages to clearly display on their packaging information about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption on pregnant or breastfeeding women. The new regulations will also apply to beer advertising and promotion. Public consultations on the bill will last until early September.

The draft amendment to the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism stipulates that every alcoholic beverage delivered to a point of sale will have to have visible and understandable information on the packaging about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption on pregnant or breastfeeding women.

The Minister of Health will specify the details in a regulation – including the size, content, form (inscription or pictogram) and method of placing the warning so that it is clear and effective.

See also:

• 

According to the project justification:

The goal is, among other things, to increase public awareness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

See also:

• 

The disclosure requirement will also apply to all beer advertising and promotional messages. This means that every ad – regardless of the medium – will be required to include information about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption on pregnant or breastfeeding women. Details regarding the format and display of this message will also be regulated in the regulation.

As noted in the project,

This is intended to prevent the problem from being downplayed and to break down persistent stereotypes, such as the belief that a glass of wine during pregnancy will do no harm.

Research from the State Sanitary Inspectorate shows that despite growing awareness— in 2017, 95.16% of pregnant women declared abstinence — there is still a group of women who consume alcohol, often unaware of the risks. FASD affects not only women who drink harmfully but also those who drink moderately or occasionally.

It is estimated that in Poland FAS may affect 1–3 children per 1,000 births, which means up to 900 cases per year, and milder forms of FASD – up to 20 per 1,000. The disease is incurable, but completely avoidable with complete abstinence during pregnancy.

The Act provides for a 24-month period during which the sale of alcohol in packaging that does not meet the new requirements will be permitted. Additionally, simplifications for businesses have been introduced, including the waiver of the PLN 200 fee for changes to alcohol wholesale permits, extending the deadline for reporting changes to permits from 14 to 30 days, and clarifying the rules for paying license fees in installments.

Work on the bill is underway through public consultations, which began on August 8 and will continue until September 7, 2025. During this time , public institutions, social organizations, trade unions, and representatives of the alcohol industry can submit their opinions. Comments and proposals are to be published on the Senate website after the consultation period concludes.

The project received support from the Children's Ombudsman, the National Center for Addiction Prevention, and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, among others. The Children's Ombudsman emphasized that the changes should be part of a broader strategy to limit alcohol availability, and the Director of the National Center for Addiction Prevention pointed to the need to supplement warnings with information about alcohol's carcinogenicity.

The Minister of Agriculture expressed doubts about the validity of the additional obligations, pointing to voluntary industry initiatives. The Lewiatan Confederation supported the bill but proposed clarifying the provisions of the act, including the warning template.

Similar solutions already exist in countries such as France, Lithuania, Australia, and the United States. In many countries, mandatory warnings have contributed to increased public awareness and a decrease in alcohol consumption among pregnant women.