“We Need to Remove From Advertising What Is Harmful to Health”
Paladino da Verdade reports:
“The law that limits advertising of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages (Law 9.294/96) has turned 30, but it only covers beverages with more than 13% alcohol content, such as wines, whiskeys, cachaças, and vodkas, which leaves beer out. The need to include beer in advertising limitations was highlighted in a public hearing of the Chamber’s Human Rights Commission on Tuesday (5).
“Deputies are already analysing bills that would add beer to the limitations. One of them (PL 754/15) prohibits broadcasting of alcohol and energy drink advertisements on television and radio networks; another (PL 1548/25) further limits beer advertising on the internet and requires warning messages.”
Other Articles on the Same Topic
- Deputy Proposes Subcommittee to Discuss Limitations on Beer Advertising (Notícia Marajó)
- Federal Chamber Discusses Advertising Rules for Alcoholic Beverages (Jornal O Debate)
- Deputy Proposes Subcommittee to Discuss Limitations on Beer Advertising (Portal da Câmara dos Deputados)
Assessment
Brazil’s advertising law has a gap that the alcohol industry has exploited for three decades. Law 9.294/96 sets the threshold at 13% alcohol by volume, which means beer – accounting for an estimated 90% of all alcoholic beverages used in the country – faces virtually no advertising limitations. The hearing at the Human Rights Commission, proposed by Deputy Erika Kokay (PT-DF), and the two bills now under analysis (PL 754/15 and PL 1548/25) represent the most concerted legislative effort in years to close that gap.
The timing is significant. Brazil is weeks away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and AB InBev’s subsidiary Ambev has already launched branded arenas in five major cities – a marketing operation designed to reach millions. Meanwhile, Heineken has been exposed for marketing alcohol to minors through its sponsorship of Big Brother Brazil, one of the country’s most-watched television programmes, and Coca-Cola has expanded into beer production in the Brazilian market. The legislative initiative to update advertising rules arrives as the industry’s marketing footprint is visibly growing.
The advocacy coalition behind the push is broad. Laura Cury, coordinator of the alcohol project at ACT Promoção da Saúde (ACT Health Promotion), told the hearing that the law needs to catch up with 30 years of change in the communications landscape – social media algorithms, digital influencers, personalised messaging – none of which existed when the current rules were written. She cited a Datafolha survey showing that 69% of Brazilians support limiting beer advertising and 91% support requirements for warning labels on alcoholic beverages.
Luciana Sardinha of Vital Strategies pointed out that beer accounts for 90% of alcoholic beverages used in Brazil, while the industry claims to oppose marketing to young people but directs advertising at them in practice. Data from IBGE’s National School Health Survey backs up the concern: 53.6% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 have already tried alcohol.
Deputy Kokay plans to propose a dedicated subcommittee next week to work on updating the law. The hearing drew participants from the Ministry of Health, the National Secretariat for Drug Policies (SENAD), and civil society – a level of institutional engagement that suggests the issue has moved beyond isolated advocacy into coordinated policy attention.