The Brazilian federal government intends to be tougher with rules on advertising for alcoholic beverages and has a new regulation that is scheduled to go into effect in six months.
The six-month delay in applying the new rules will permit public consultations (during 60 days) and further examination of the issue by authorities.
Some proposed changes are: TV commercials for beverages with a certain alcoholic content can only be shown between 9 pm and 6 am and cannot make claims that drinking improves athletic abilities. The new rules will also prohibit attempts to bond drinking with civil or religious events, driving or sexual conquests.
Minister Jorge Armando Felix, the head of the Office of Institutional Security, puts the problem this way: "We want to disconnect the link that is made in advertising between drinking and social success. After all, it does not exist in reality."
Recently the World Health Organization reported that drinking has increased in Brazil over the last 35 years by over 70%, placing the country on the list of the top 25 countries in alcohol consumation.
Meanwhile, the WHO report shows that neighbors Argentina and Chile are moving in the opposite direction, reducing consumption. There have also been drops in alcohol consumption in the United States and Canada.
Agência Brasil
