Earlier this year, Belgium's Federal Government approved stricter rules on alcohol advertising aimed at reducing young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing.
The new rules will restrict alcohol advertising in media where at least 30% of the audience is under 18, as well as advertising by influencers primarily followed by minors, and require alcohol advertisements to carry the warning “alcohol harms health.”
Giving alcohol away via a magazine, subscription or another product will also no longer be allowed. Some promotions, including “buy one, get one free” offers and tastings, will remain permitted.
But whether the measures will actually change drinking habits is less clear.
Why this change is being enacted
According to a 27 March statement by Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit), the measure is primarily focused on protecting minors and young adults. He pointed to data showing that people who begin drinking at an early age are associated with a greater risk of harmful alcohol use later in life as a justification for the change.
Vandenbroucke added that the government is also responding to wider health risks surrounding alcohol. Excessive alcohol use is directly linked to more than 30 health conditions and accounts for around 3% of Belgian deaths – or over 10 deaths a day.
Alcohol is also reportedly a leading factor in traffic accidents and domestic/sexual violence cases.
“We want to better protect young people from the dangers of alcohol and with these measures, we limit the exposure of minors to alcohol marketing and prevent young people from being attracted by alcohol marketing messages,” Vandenbroucke said.
“At the same time, as a government, we must correctly inform adults. We are doing that with the new alcohol message.”
Will it actually change drinking habits?
There is evidence that suggests alcohol marketing can influence young people’s drinking habits. However, that does not necessarily mean that restricting advertising always correlates to a reduction in overall alcohol consumption.
A 2026 systematic review and analysis of 19 cohort studies that involved more than 82,000 participants across 10 countries by JAMA Pediatrics found that young people exposed to higher levels of alcohol marketing had a 50% higher risk of beginning to drink. All kinds of advertising contributed to this increase, with television ads being tied to the greatest increase.
While these findings suggest limiting young people’s exposure to alcohol advertising could play a role in preventing drinking, the evidence becomes more murky when you examine overall alcohol consumption.
A 2024 systematic review of studies examining alcohol marketing bans found insufficient evidence to conclude that advertising restrictions reduce alcohol consumption. Researchers noted that people can still encounter alcohol marketing through other channels even when restrictions are applied.
This is an important distinction because the new advertising guidelines might reduce the amount of alcohol marketing young people see, but whether that translates into fewer young Belgians drinking, or drinking less, will depend partly on how broadly the restrictions are applied and how effectively they are enforced.
In comparison to tobacco products that carry warnings like “smoking causes cancer” on the actual packaging, this new restriction might seem rather tame. Research has found that prominent health warnings on tobacco products increase awareness of the risks of smoking, but it rarely acts as a full on deterrent.
So, this raises a similar question for Belgium’s alcohol warning.
If a warning on the product itself does not necessarily lead directly to behavioural change, would a warning that only appears in advertisements have an even more limited effect? Right now, there is not enough evidence to confidently say the new warnings will meaningfully change drinking behaviour.
Public reactions
The wording “alcohol harms health” has drawn criticism from parts of the Belgian alcohol industry. In an open letter published in August, Belgian Brewers and several sector organisations called on the Federal Government to reconsider the new warning.
Krishan Maudgal, director of the Belgian Brewers non-profit association, argued the wording could potentially stigmatise responsible drinkers.
“With the new text, the Minister of Public Health is shifting the focus from combating abuse to problematising and stigmatising every form of alcohol consumption,” Maudgal said in a statement on Belgian Brewers website.
“We do not believe that this unnuanced message will contribute to consumer awareness or accurate information. A credible and effective health policy is based on facts, not on black-and-white messages," he added.
However, some experts argue that the new warning isn’t telling consumers something they don’t already know. Laura Clays, public relations officer at consumer organisation Testachats, said the health risks of alcohol are already well established.
“Alcohol is harmful to health is a scientific fact; there is large consensus on that,” Clays said in an email to The Brussels Times. “As a consumers' organisation, we value and defend consumers' health, and we value and defend correct, transparent information on consumers' health. We therefore support this measure.”
For now, the Federal Government has made its goal of reducing young adults exposure to alcohol marketing clear. Whether that goal will translate into meaningful results remains to be seen.
