Le Pays De France - Hopping mad: New health warning stirs up Belgian brewers

The change stirring up their discontent comes down to cutting just one crucial word.

The government wants to alter the current warning from "the abuse of alcohol is harmful to your health" to "alcohol is harmful for your health".

For Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, the move announced in spring -- which is still being debated in parliament -- is justified by the need to better protect minors and inform adults over the risks of drinking.

"Alcohol is harmful. Everyone is free to decide how much they drink, but as public authorities, we want to provide young people and adults with accurate information," he said in a statement to AFP.

"That is the aim of this new warning."

But brewers have railed against a push they say threatens to stigmatise a key sector of Belgium's economy.

Leading the charge has been AB InBev, the world's biggest beer-maker, which produces local classics such as Stella Artois, Leffe and Hoegaarden.

Together with other industry players it has launched a campaign to sway public opinion in the Belgian press.

In August, the group took out a full-page ad in local newspapers showing a smiling couple sharing a beer.

"What's wrong with these moments?" read the strapline.

An accompanying text took direct aim at the new warning, slamming it for not distinguishing between alcohol abuse and "responsible" drinking.

"Belgium has chosen to take aim at its own traditions, which are a source of national pride," it said.

- 'Paternalistic' -

The man behind the industry pushback is Krishan Maudgal, the boss of the Belgian Brewers association representing about 130 producers.

Speaking to AFP, he decried the government's "paternalistic" approach, saying that Belgians were able to moderate their consumption without government interference.

"Market trends show this," he said. "Over the last 25 to 30 years, beer consumption in Belgium has fallen by almost 40 percent."

But for some health experts in the country, the government's latest move doesn't go far enough.

Belgium's Superior Health Council, which gives independent advice to the authorities, has been calling for years for a total ban on alcohol advertising.

It also wants to see health warnings on bottles and cans, accusing the government of being too timid.

"Slogans used by the industry do not emphasise the dangers inherent in alcohol consumption sufficiently and even contribute to confusion," the council wrote in 2024, quoting the World Health Organization as saying that there is no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for one's health.

Alcohol addiction specialist Martin de Duve agrees, lashing out at "the irresponsibility of producers".

"They're making a mountain out of a molehill; we're just talking about changing a single sentence in the adverts," the doctor, who runs a prevention charity, told AFP.

He said that beer was "deeply ingrained in Belgian society."

"Yet it is by no means a harmless product," he said.

(V.Castillon--LPdF)