The Ministry of Agriculture and agrarian improvement has presented a draft regulation in fresh days, which may change the rules on the sale of alcohol in packages of up to 200 ml. The main amendment concerns the ban on the sale of spirit drinks in packaging another than bottle or can to destruct misleading products specified as kid food sachets.
New rules on alcoholic packaging
The draft regulation assumes that "spirit drinks in pre-packages with a nominal packaging size of up to 200 ml shall be marketed only in bottles or cans". The intent of this amendment is to prevent situations where alcohol packaging may be confused with another products, in peculiar children's food.
As highlighted in the explanatory memorandum of the task published on the Government's Legislative Centre (RCL) website, “in view of the fresh days of alcohol in sachets, it is essential to regulate packaging rules for certain spirit drinks so that the packaging does not mislead consumers”.
Consumer safety and commercial quality
The Ministry of Agriculture states that ‘the quality and safety of food products placed on the marketplace is the work of the food marketplace operator and is obliged to comply with the law’. In practice, this means that operators selling spirit drinks will gotta adapt to fresh regulations aimed at ensuring consumer safety and transparency on the market.
The draft regulation does not require any additional authorisation or authorisation of products, but sets out the requirements for the commercial quality of packaging. This will require entrepreneurs to comply with these guidelines in the case of the introduction of tiny packages of spirit drinks.
Transitional period and impact on industry
The task provides for a transitional period of 30 days to implement the fresh rules. This is to prevent possible financial harm that might be caused to alcohol sales operators. In Poland there are presently almost 81,000 commercial establishments selling alcoholic beverages. The number of points of sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption outside the place of sale is precisely 80,789.
Summary
The proposed amendments to the packaging rules for spirit drinks aim to defend consumers from misleading products and to increase transparency in the alcohol industry. The ban on the sale of alcohol in sachets or another forms resembling baby foods is simply a consequence to increasing consumer safety concerns. The introduction of fresh regulations could affect the way consumers buy alcohol and besides the business activities of the industry.
Sources:
- The draft regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and agrarian improvement is available on the website of the Government Legislative Centre.
Daniel Głogowski
Expert in his field – Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he seeks to address controversial topics and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed.
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