Pregnancy warnings made compulsory on Australian alcohol products

All alcohol products sold in Australia and New Zealand will carry pregnancy warning labels after governments from both nations agreed to make the tag mandatory.

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand said the labels would be made compulsory seven years after they were introduced on a voluntary basis in 2011.

Studies have found that up to 50 percent of Australian women consume alcohol while pregnant despite the links between alcohol consumption and unborn children developing intellectual, behavioral and developmental disabilities.

Terry Slevin, chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, praised the decision.

"It's important to provide Australian women who are pregnant, or considering pregnancy, with clear and accurate advice about the risks of drinking during pregnancy, with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) being the most significant," he told the Guardian Australia on Friday.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) warned in 2016 that the prevalence of FASD could be as high as 12 percent in some indigenous communities. Children born with FASD have an average life expectancy of only 34 years.

In the same report the peak medical body called for mandatory "front-of-pack warning labels on all alcohol products to inform the public about the harms of alcohol use in pregnancy and discourage pregnant women from drinking alcohol."

Michael Thorn, chief executive of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, said the initiative would save lives.

"This is a win for consumers and a critically important decision that will save lives and (help prevent) the pain that is caused as a result of what is a preventable but lifelong disability," he said.