A Child with Wine. France. 1950s
Half a Liter a Day—And That Was Normal!
By the mid-20th century, French schoolchildren of any age could drink up to half a liter of a low-alcohol beverage of their choice each day: cider, wine, or . The drink was always diluted with water to prevent the kids from burning their throats and to make it easier for them to take a sip without disgust.
During each break, cafeteria staff would hand out a glass of this “spirited” drink to the children instead of compote or tea.
“Water of Life” Against Germs
The historical roots of this tradition run deep. The ancient Hippocrates considered wine a true panacea. Roman physician Galen used wine as a sedative and for washing wounds. In the Middle Ages, distillation emerged, and people learned to produce pure alcohol, poetically named “aqua vitae”—“water of life.”
It was believed that warmed the body and killed germs. To reduce the incidence of colds among children, they were given alcohol. In the 1930s, the government even endorsed this practice, encouraging parents to introduce their children to the taste of wine from a young age.
School Lunch in Evreux Around 1900
Childhood Under the Influence
However, teachers soon began to complain about students’ behavior: they lost control, fell asleep in class, and showed little interest in their studies. When some school principals banned serving alcohol to students, parents were not pleased. Without this peculiar form of prevention, their children could easily fall ill! They started packing bottles of wine, cider, or beer in their kids’ lunchboxes. And if they were forbidden to drink their own beverages, students were given alcohol during breakfast at home.
By the 1950s, the level of in France had reached alarming proportions. According to the UN, in 1952, the average French citizen over the age of 14 consumed 138 liters of wine annually. In 1951, French statisticians calculated that each French person consumed an average of 21 liters of pure alcohol per year. For comparison, in Italy, this figure was 9.2 liters, in the U.S. it was 6.2 liters, and in the UK, it was 5.9 liters.
Tipsy First Graders and Sober Ministers
In 1954, the French government was led by socialist Pierre Mendès-France, who immediately began to combat excessive alcohol consumption in the country. By the end of the year, he established a High Committee to Study Alcoholism, which launched a large-scale information campaign in 1955.
Mendès-France paid special attention to alcohol consumption among children. As psychiatrist Suzanne Seren recalls: “Many parents sent their children to school with alcohol. Sometimes it was half a liter of wine, sometimes cider or beer—depending on the region. I personally witnessed a small drama in the Paris region: parents insisted that their children take alcohol with them, and the principal refused. Then decided that their children would drink wine before going to school. The kids arrived rosy-cheeked, sweaty, and slept almost the entire morning right in class.”
Younger Students with Their Own Lunch Basket and a Bottle of Wine Around 1900.
The Prime Minister himself demonstratively drank only milk, even at official receptions, and as an experiment, ordered free milk to be distributed to schoolchildren in several educational institutions.
125 Milliliters of Compromise
By 1956, childhood alcoholism had reached colossal proportions. Students were already getting drunk: some became apathetic, lazy, and drowsy, while others became hyperactive, aggressive, and uncontrollable.
On August 8, 1956, the French Ministry of Education issued a circular completely banning the serving of any alcoholic beverages to students under 14 years old in school cafeterias. From then on, schools were required to serve warm milk and a piece of sugar instead of alcohol.
Older students were allowed to drink wine, but only diluted with water and no more than 125 ml per meal. Consumption of light beer or light cider was also permitted.
Let’s Learn This: No Alcoholic Beverages for Children. 1958 Campaign Poster
How did parents react to this decision by the French government? They were bewildered: could milk really protect children from colds? Even not all government officials agreed with the introduction of this law. In March 1956, the National Advisory Committee on School and University Health conducted a study on the effects of alcohol consumption among students in boarding schools and found nothing negative. As a result, the conclusion was made that the alcohol ban was unnecessary under current conditions. However, no one moved to revoke the decree.
Article in the French Press About the Corresponding Ban.
The End of an Era: From Wine to Juice
It took just under 30 years for children to completely stop consuming alcohol. It wasn’t until a quarter of a century later, at the initiative of Education Minister Alain Savary, that alcohol was entirely banned in schools.
In a circular dated September 3, 1981, it was stated that the restrictions now also applied to high school students: “Students should not be given any alcoholic beverages, even if it is diluted wine, beer, or cider. Acceptable beverages are water, milk, and (grape or apple).” The document specifically noted that students could not bring alcohol with them and consume it during meals.
Thus, a tradition that had existed for centuries and seemed unbreakable finally faded into the past. Wine disappeared from children’s tables—not because the French had fallen out of love with it, but because a new era brought a different understanding of medicine and a healthy lifestyle.