“Speaking with one voice, Australians are calling on food safety Ministers to prioritise the health and wellbeing of children and prevent the lifelong disability Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

A national Open Letter was launched today urging the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation to ensure that new alcohol product labels are effective in warning that alcohol can cause lifelong harm to unborn babies.

The letter is addressed to the Ministers, who are scheduled to meet in a few weeks, urging them to agree on an honest, visible label that clearly warns of the risks of alcohol in pregnancy.

More than 100 organisations and over 1,000 individuals have already signed the Open Letter, including one of Australia’s most respected Australian leaders, former Governor General, the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce.

“Across my life I have engaged in a myriad of child health issues. FASD is a preventable disability so as a grandmother and mother it deeply saddens me that babies are being born with brain damage” Ms Bryce said.”

Find more from FARE Australia (Australia, June 2020)