Meta restricts Facebook recommendations for alcohol-related businesses, slashing reach and visibility 

GLOBAL – Meta has begun notifying alcohol-related businesses that their Facebook pages will no longer be recommended by the platform’s algorithms, a move that could significantly reduce visibility, audience reach and revenue for affected companies. 

Last week, owners of wine, beer and spirits-related business pages received emails and in-app Facebook notifications informing them that their accounts had been restricted. The notices stated that the pages would no longer be recommended because their activity “may not follow our rules”. 

According to the notification, Meta’s systems had determined that the content on the affected pages did not comply with the platform’s Community Standards. “Our technology took action,” the message said, without providing further details on the specific violations. 

There have been no recent updates to Facebook’s policies governing alcohol-related businesses. Meta’s Restricted Goods and Services guidance and its alcohol advertising standards remain unchanged, adding to confusion among business owners. 

In its communication, Meta said affected page owners could regain recommendation eligibility by either addressing the issues identified or submitting a request for review. “You may be able to qualify for recommendation by fixing these issues or requesting a review,” the email stated. 

US-based publication Northwest Wine Report said that potentially “millions of pages” could be impacted by the change. The outlet confirmed that businesses affected include wineries, breweries, distilleries, restaurants, bars, wine and liquor stores, as well as related media outlets, event organisers, educational programmes and wine software companies operating in the US and globally. 

One business owner subscribed to Meta Verified, which provides access to live support, told Northwest Wine Report that a Meta support agent described the issue as a “bug”.  

However, Meta has not publicly acknowledged any technical problem or formally informed businesses that the restrictions were applied in error. 

So far, the restrictions appear to apply only to Facebook, and not to Instagram, which is also owned by Meta. 

The development comes as other social platforms take different approaches to alcohol-related content. TikTok updated its alcohol advertising policy last year, allowing alcohol adverts on the platform, subject to specific restrictions. 

Meta has yet to issue an official statement clarifying the scope or cause of the Facebook restrictions. 

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