NEWS
WHO CALLS FOR MANDATORY CANCER WARNINGS ON ALCOHOL PACKAGING
By Susan Lewis
25-2-2025
Credit: Credit: Christine Jou/Unsplash
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that cigarette-style cancer warning should be printed on alcohol packaging.
The UN agency said governments should make “prominent” warning labels to alert consumers about the link between alcohol and cancer mandatory.
Dr Gauden Galea, a WHO strategic adviser on non-communicable diseases, said such warnings should be highly visible on cans and bottles and not just carried on websites.
Governments must “resist all the pressures that will inevitably come from commercial actors” seeking to block the rollout of such labels, he said.
Cancer charities welcomed the move and said such labels would overcome the widespread lack of awareness that alcohol is a proven cause of seven forms of cancer.
The World Cancer Research Fund, which monitors evidence on what lifestyle and other factors increase the risk of the disease, urged governments worldwide to act.
Kate Oldridge-Turner, the organisation’s head of policy and public affairs, said: “Despite the fact that our own evidence shows alcohol is a risk factor for at least seven cancers, it is currently exempt from any mandatory warning labels in most countries. This is of great concern given how few people are aware of the links between alcohol and cancer.
“Clear, highly visible health warning labels increase consumers’ awareness of the risks associated with drinking, and should be standard in Europe and around the world.”
IN USA, the surgeon general of the Biden administration, Dr Vivek Murthy, made the same suggestion last month.
Ireland is the first country in the world to have decided on mandatory cancer warning on alcoholic drink labels.
From 2026, it will be mandatory for the packaging on alcoholic beverages sold in Ireland to display information including calorie content, risks of cancer and liver disease and the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.
They will also have to direct consumers to the Irish Health Service Executive website for more information on alcohol consumption.
The European Commission has signed off the plan and Ireland’s decision has prompted many public heath professionals to push for the entire European Union to follow suit.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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