British Nationals Abroad: Methanol
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to raise awareness of the potential dangers of methanol poisoning among UK nationals travelling overseas.
Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. We include information about the risks from methanol poisoning or counterfeit alcohol in our Travel Advice pages for a range of countries, including Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Since November 2024 the FCDO has also proactively communicated the risks of methanol poisoning to British travellers through Travel Aware, the FCDO's public-facing campaign that aims to arm travelling British nationals with knowledge to help them avoid incidents overseas. This includes:
- a dedicated drink spiking and methanol poisoning page on the Travel Aware website: https//travelaware.campaign.gov.uk/spiking-and-methanol-poisoning;
- regular Travel Aware social media posts, directing audiences to the webpage;
- work with youth-focussed content creators to raise awareness; and
- work with Travel Aware industry partners, including ABTA, who have shared information with relevant audiences.
In addition, the FCDO works closely with international partners, such as the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, to share best practice about how to communicate the risks of methanol poisoning to British nationals.
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