Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is the most common preventable cause of neurodevelopmental impairment among children, affecting an estimated 25 million people under 40 worldwide, yet the burden remains largely invisible because most countries lack the systems to detect, diagnose, and monitor it. New evidence, including government documents released in New Zealand in 2025, shows how the alcohol industry manufactures doubt about the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy, dismisses FASD estimates, and delays pregnancy warning labels for decades. On International FASD Awareness Day, this Special Feature brings together the science, the industry interference, and the proven policy solutions that give governments the tools to protect children from predictable and preventable harm.
