Fifty shades of pregnancy warning labels on wine bottles: An observational study in France

Olivier Droulers () and Sophie Lacoste-Badie ()
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Olivier Droulers: CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Sophie Lacoste-Badie: LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999 - Université de Lille

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Abstract: Introduction: In 2006, France passed a regulation requiring all alcoholic beverage bottles to carry a health warning aimed at pregnant women. The regulation stated that the pregnancy warning label (PWL) must appear on a contrasting background in a way that is visible, legible, clearly understandable, and indelible. It must not be concealed, obscured, or separated by any other text or image. The current study aims to assess whether current PWLs comply with the legal requirements. Methods: Conducted between January and April 2025, the study is based on observations of PWLs displayed on alcoholic beverage bottles in supermarkets and wine shops across France. Results: The study reveals widespread non-compliance with French regulations regarding PWLs on wine bottles. Common issues include inadequate label size, poor colour contrast, unclear designs, and placement that impairs visibility such as positioning the PWL at the edge of the label, on transparent backgrounds, or among competing logos and text. Conclusion: The findings highlight the limitations of relying solely on general principles like visibility and legibility in health warning legislation. Effective implementation requires clear, detailed, and enforceable regulatory standards.

Keywords: Pregnancy; Warning; Labelling; Alcohol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Published in Public Health in Practice, 2025, 11, pp.100714. ⟨10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100714⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05504960

DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100714

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