Polish government intervenes over alcohol sold in pouches resembling children’s drinks

A Polish company has sparked controversy – and intervention from the government – after launching alcohol products in squeezable pouches of the same type in which drinks for children are sold.

The speaker of parliament has called the product “pure evil”, while the education minister has responded by asking the health ministry to change regulations regarding the packaging in which alcohol can be sold.

The product in question is a range of colourfully branded plastic pouches containing either pure vodka or fruit liqueurs, with alcohol content ranging from 15 to 40%.

The product’s name, Voodoo Monkey, is likely a reference to the Polish term małpka – meaning “little monkey” – which is as an informal name for small bottles of vodka or other liqueurs.

On its website, Voodoo Monkey describe themselves as “pioneers who have changed the way you experience alcohol by offering it in boldly designed tubes” in a mission to “redefine the experience of drinking alcohol”.

The brand belongs to Owolovo, a Polish firm that also produces various non-alcoholic fruit drinks and snacks in tubes.

The new product quickly drew criticism online due to the similarity of its packaging to smoothies sold in the same type of squeezable tubes and aimed at children.

One journalist shared a photo showing that Voodoo Monkey’s alcoholic pouches were being presented in a shop using boxes designed for selling non-alcoholic fruit smoothies.

Wygoda to mus – a w środku alkohol w tubkach na półkach musów dla dzieci i młodzieży. Polska 2024. pic.twitter.com/Ww3oNmT3PJ

— Maja Staśko 💙💛 (@majakstasko) September 30, 2024

Speaking to Polish Radio today, education minister Barbara Nowacka said that she was “deeply outraged” by the product and would file a a request to the health ministry to change the regulations regarding packaging.

“It’s the government’s job to tighten up the rules so that alcohol doesn’t pretend to be a juice. I think there will soon be a tightening of the rule so that alcohol does not pretend to be a nice product for children, because it is not for children,” she added.

In August, before the official release of the Voodoo Monkey product, the National Centre for Combating Addictions (KCPU) – a specialised agency of the health ministry – told newspaper Fakt that selling alcohol in this type of packaging does not break the law.

However, the centre also criticised the idea, calling it “another attempt by the alcohol industry to widen the circle of alcohol consumers”.

Bulwersująca sprawa kolorowych tubek z alkoholem. @barbaraanowacka (@MEN_GOVPL) w #SygnałyDnia @RadiowaJedynka: dzisiaj wystosujemy oficjalne pismo do Ministerstwa Zdrowia z prośbą o zmianę przepisów dotyczących opakowań, w których sprzedawany jest alkohol. Przepisy trzeba… pic.twitter.com/2pHNcnK1AV

— Jedynka – Program 1 Polskiego Radia (@RadiowaJedynka) October 1, 2024

A senator from the ruling coalition, Anna Górska of The Left (Lewica), announced that she has referred the product to Poland’s consumer protection authority, UOKiK, because the design of the product “does not make clear that the contents are intended for adults only”.

She believes that this can “foster the feeling in underage persons that consumption of alcohol is exclusively a positive experience, not associated with negative health consequences and possible addiction”, which could violate Poland’s law on countering alcoholism.

The packaging of the product can also make it easier for underage drinkers to hide alcohol from adults and can result in stores inaccurately displaying the product, added the senator.

Szymon Hołownia, the speaker of parliament and one of the leaders of the ruling coalition, called the product “evil in its pure form”.

Poland’s largest retail chain, Żabka, has withdrawn a promotion offering discounted snacks when purchasing cigarettes.

The decision came after the health ministry announced it was taking action against the firm for violating the ban on advertising tobacco https://t.co/v0JL3UgZO6

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 9, 2023

In response to the controversy, the manufacturer of Voodoo Monkey issued a statement to the Business Insider Polska website in which it said it would not “discuss the absurd allegations” made against it.

It described the pouches as “practical packaging that perfectly replaces traditional glass” and which has “clear and large markings…showing information about the alcohol in the product”.

It noted that the pouches “are sold from specially and clearly marked stands, and meet all requirements of the law.”

Producent odpowiada na zarzuty 👉 https://t.co/MOKo9zknvH pic.twitter.com/i5dn1uRUp0

— Business Insider Polska 🇵🇱 (@BIPolska) October 1, 2024

Main image credit: Voodoo Monkey (press materials)

Agata Pyka is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a journalist and a political communication student at the University of Amsterdam. She specialises in Polish and European politics as well as investigative journalism and has previously written for Euractiv and The European Correspondent.