The move is designed to cut one of the world’s highest rates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which sees babies develop mental and physical defects in the womb due to a mother’s heavy drinking.
It would penalise both off-licences and supermarkets, and bars and restaurants, for supplying alcohol to pregnant women, as well as anyone wearing a school uniform or already visibly drunk.
But industry associations say the Gauteng Liquor Bill, which covers the country’s most populous province and houses Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, would be impossible to implement.
Adrian Botha, director of the Association for Responsible Alcohol Use, to which leading South African producers such as brewer SAB Miller and winemaker KWV are signed up, said it would also be unique in the world.
“We understand the sentiment behind it – we do have a problem with FAS in South Africa and clearly something needs to be done about it,” he said.
via >South Africa considers law banning sale of alcohol to pregnant women – Telegraph.
