Vodka in sachets resembling juice packaging
It has been cooking in Polish social media since Monday morning. Internet users noticed that vodka and liqueurs in sachets appeared on many store shelves. Colorful products called “Monkey”. they look nothing like traditional hip flasks.
They look like packaging of popular mousses and juices for children. The fact that it is alcohol is indicated by the faint inscription on the sachet.
A storm broke out on the Internet, and some commentators decided to notify the Ministry of Health about the entire matter. Polish regulations state that alcoholic beverages can only be sold in packaging that clearly and visibly informs about its contents.
– My hands are weak. How does this relate to the fight to limit alcohol consumption by Polish citizens? How does this relate to harm reduction? More and more clever camouflage of vodka will result in bringing it where it shouldn’t be – wrote psychiatry resident Julia Pankiewicz on the X platform.
Jan Śpiewak: I’m terrified, we’re notifying the prosecutor’s office
We asked sociologist, chairman of the Free City of Warsaw association, Dr. Jan Śpiewak, to comment on the debut of the shocking product on store shelves. The Warsaw activist has been fighting the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption in Poland for years.
– I am terrified (…) we will contact the Ministry of Health about this matter – Śpiewak told us.
– We encourage you to inform the Minister of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, about this and demand her reaction – he said.
– Alcohol cartels do whatever they want and the state allows them to do it. We spend billions of zlotys on treating the effects of excessive alcohol consumption. The health service is on the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, vodka producers have found a new loophole that will allow them to sell alcohol to other consumers, our interlocutor added.
Jan Śpiewak has a plan to curb the “creativity” of corporations
Our interlocutor pointed out that the problem of creatively hiding alcohol in unusual packaging returns, like a boomerang, every few years.
– Please remember the plastic cups with vodka that flooded stores a few years ago. Alcohol companies don’t care about the law, and the state allows them to do everything. This has to stop. We propose introducing regulations that will oblige producers to properly label packaging. Just like tobacco producers must do. We also demand a total ban on the sale of small packages of strong alcohol up to 300 or 500 ml, Śpiewak told us.
– Half a bottle of vodka should contain visible information about the dangers of drinking alcohol. It must be a big sign informing that ethanol consumption causes liver cancer or cirrhosis – he explained.
Mateusz Balcerek
Photo Monkey vodka, grocery store, Jan Śpiewak. Source: Facebook/X/Pixabay.com
Author: Editorial team Source: Salon24
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