Poland vows changes to alcohol laws after kids’ mousse vodka fiasco

The Polish government said Wednesday it will amend the country’s regulations concerning promotion and sales of alcoholic drinks after a company introduced vodka that was packaged in colorful tubes similar to what children’s fruit mousses are sold in.

Following an outcry, the company, OLV — which, incidentally, does also manufacture fruit mousses popular with children — said it was withdrawing the “alco-tubes,” as they were dubbed, and will stop their production altogether.

One prominent Polish politician, Szymon Hołownia, said the vodka product was “evil in pure form” and the outrage has now led to work getting underway to amend regulations governing sales, promotion and packaging of alcohol in Poland.

The scandal resulted in the dismissal of Piotr Jabłoński, head of the National Center for Addiction Prevention, who, in the opinion of the health ministry, “underestimated” the problem.

“We have accelerated work on legislative changes, with new provisions added to restrict alcohol promotion and increase penalties for improper sales. The issue of packaging will likely be addressed as well,” Deputy Health Minister Wojciech Konieczny said Wednesday.

The government is yet to decide if the changes will be introduced by a decree — the contents of which will be worked out by the ministries of agriculture, health and finance — or via passing amendments to the relevant law or laws in the parliament, which will take longer.