Belgian Brewers Fight New Alcohol Warning Slogan
Belgian brewers are pushing back against a planned change to the mandatory health warning on alcohol advertising, arguing that the new slogan unfairly stigmatizes the country’s beer culture. The controversy centers on a draft royal decree that would replace the current warning “L’abus d’alcool nuit à la santé” (Abuse of alcohol is harmful to health) with the more direct “L’alcool nuit à la santé” (Alcohol is harmful to health), removing the word “abuse” from the message.
The Belgian Brewers Federation launched a full-page newspaper campaign on August 26 asking “En quoi ces moments posent-ils problème?” (In what way do these moments pose a problem?), featuring photos of smiling people sharing drinks. The campaign accompanied an open letter signed by over 100 brewers and approximately 1,500 industry professionals, including employer organization leaders, politicians, and chefs, according to RTBF.
The Decree and Its Scope
The draft royal decree, approved by the Belgian Council of Ministers on March 27 on the proposal of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, introduces several stricter rules for alcohol advertising. Beyond the slogan change, the measures prohibit alcohol advertising in media where at least 30% of the audience is minors, ban alcohol promotion by influencers whose followers are primarily minors, and prohibit free alcohol distribution with magazines or subscriptions, as reported by RTBF.
The decree is currently notified to EU member states, which have until September 30 to formulate observations.
Brewers’ Defense of Belgian Beer Culture
Krishan Maudgal, director of the Belgian Brewers Federation, said the government’s intention is to “needlessly stigmatize an entire sector that generates investments, thousands of jobs, and fosters social cohesion.” The federation argues that the new slogan “is too stigmatizing and lacks nuance.”
The open letter evokes scenes central to Belgian social life: “A terrace filling up with the first rays of sunshine. The counter of a café after a football match. A table where three generations toast together at a birthday. These are not harmful moments. This is what we are. And yet, our country suddenly seems ashamed of it,” as quoted by La Libre.
The brewers also point to the sector’s economic weight: nearly 7,000 direct jobs, approximately 400 active breweries, and 213 million euros invested last year. Beer excise taxes brought in over 170 million euros to the state, according to VRT NWS.
The timing is particularly sensitive: Belgium is preparing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of Belgian beer culture as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this autumn.
The Public Health Counterargument
Martin de Duve, an alcohologist and director of Univers Santé, rejects the brewers’ position. “Whether we like it or not, there is no risk-free threshold when it comes to alcohol consumption, contrary to what alcohol producers want us to believe,” he told RTBF. “They sell a product that is not harmless to health. It’s a product that has an impact from the first glass.”
De Duve cited statistics showing alcohol is the third leading cause of death in Belgium, the second leading cause of preventable death behind tobacco, and the first leading cause of death among young people. Between 4,000 and 10,000 deaths per year are linked to alcohol, with approximately 14% of Belgians classified as problematic consumers.
He described the brewers’ campaign as “yet another crude attempt by brewers to throw a smoke screen over a small measure, so that more substantial measures to regulate the alcohol market are not adopted.”
The hospitality sector has joined the protest. Matthieu Léonard, president of Horeca Brussels, called for a moratorium on the measure, describing it as “health radicalism,” as reported by DH/Les Sports+.
A Clash of Values
The dispute reflects a deeper tension in Belgian society between a celebrated beer culture and growing public health concerns. The VAD (Flemish Expertise Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs) has stated that “public health must take precedence over the profit margins of the alcohol industry,” while the brewers insist they support the fight against alcohol abuse and point to declining consumption rates: the number of Belgians who drink alcohol daily has halved in ten years, from 14.2% to 7.7%.
Health Minister Vandenbroucke has defended the measures, stating they “limit minors’ exposure to alcohol marketing” while providing “adults with accurate information through the new health message.”
What’s Next
The draft decree is under EU review until September 30, and the brewers have called for dialogue with the federal government on alternative measures. The outcome will likely hinge on whether the government stands firm on its public health commitments or accommodates the industry’s concerns ahead of the UNESCO anniversary celebrations this autumn.
For now, the debate over a single word — “abuse” — has become a proxy for a much larger question: how Belgium balances its cultural heritage with the health of its citizens.