How Do Countries Inform Their People That Alcohol Causes Cancer?

How Do Countries Inform Their People That Alcohol Causes Cancer?

Alcohol’s cancer risk is well known and documented across the world. The World Health Organisation identifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, categorising it alongside tobacco and asbestos.

Already in 1988, the World Health Organization concluded that alcohol is carcinogenic to humans. The scientific evidence has grown ever since and in early 2023, the WHO issued a clear statement that made waves: “No safe amount of alcohol consumption for cancers can be established.”

But a landmark a study revealed in 2020 that only few governments have communicated the fact that alcohol causes cancer to the public. Only a quarter of the all countries required any health warnings on alcohol. And if they did, the language on the labels was generally vague, and cancer warnings were even more scarce. The study also exposed how the alcohol industry seeks to keep their customers in the dark about alcohol-related cancer risks.

Evidence shows that Big Alcohol is doing everything they can to keep people in the dark: from muddying the science, to propagating myths, to derailing policy initiatives.

Despite all the evidence and due to alcohol industry interference, the general public still remains largely unaware of this risk.

But governments worldwide are increasingly stepping up action to fill this knowledge gap through health warnings on alcohol products, public guidelines for lower risk alcohol use, and public campaigns to increase recognition of the real extent of alcohol harms and risks.

This article explores how countries are addressing cancer risks due to alcohol by highlighting effective strategies and the challenges they face. 

Best practice alcohol labeling examples and public support

Health warning labels on alcohol products are an effective tool to inform the public about the risks and harms of alcohol. In 2022, Movendi International published a Special Alcohol Issues Feature about alcohol labeling, showing how alcohol warning labeling works and why it is needed. The Special Feature also presented best practice alcohol labeling examples and exposed alcohol industry interference against health warning labeling on alcohol products.

Movendi International has also developed a briefing about alcohol warning labeling, compiling state-of-the-art evidence.

A robust base of scientific evidence highlights the importance of implementing health warning labels on alcohol products. This policy measure can increase public awareness about health harms caused by alcohol specifically about pregnancy risk, cancer and cardiovascular disease risk of alcohol products.

The public has a right to know about the health risks of alcohol products. However, only a few countries so far explicitly link alcohol to cancer on their labels. Below are … examples of experiences at the country and regional level with implementing health warning labels.

Ireland

Ireland is setting a global example. According to Reuters, from 2026, all alcohol products sold in Ireland will display labels stating, “There is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers”.

This policy, introduced in 2023, makes Ireland the first country in the world to require such comprehensive and mandatory cancer warnings on alcohol products.

In January 2023, Ireland received the green light from the European Commission to go ahead with the measure to place health warning labels on all alcohol products. This decision cleared the way for the Irish Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to sign these provisions into law. 

The public, communities and civil society are in support and welcome this latest development. But opposition and lobbying against public health by the alcohol industry continues.

The WHO has praised this move as a vital step in alcohol prevention. 

South Korea

South Korea, on the other hand, mandates labels warning of liver cancer, but manufacturers can opt for alternative warnings that do not mention cancer, reports the New York Times.

This self-regulatory approach undermines the message, particularly in a country with a high prevalence of alcohol use and harm, as most alcohol producers decide to avoid South Koreans about the link between their products and liver cancer.

Thailand

Since 2003, Thailand has had three text-based warnings on alcoholic beverages, two of which focus on age limits and one on deterring driving under the influence of alcohol.

In 2010, Thailand proposed an ambitious improvement: graphic health warnings on all alcohol containers, following the examples from tobacco.

Graphic photo images depicting health warnings would take up between 30% and 50% of an alcoholic beverage container. The warning labels were to regularly rotate to avoid consumer desensitization. Thailand was applying lessons learned from tobacco labelling policies to alcohol.

Thailand faced significant questioning when it brought the new regulations to the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the World Trade Organization. Concerns from mainly high-income countries doing the dirty work for the alcohol industry focused heavily on the proposed graphic images questioning the approach and falsely claiming that other educational measures would be more appropriate. After two years of consultations and discussions the key themes that emerged were requests for an evidence base for the use of graphic health warnings, evidence that linked alcohol with the specific harms depicted in the warnings, how it may affect the industry, and claims that other measures, such as education would be equally effective in providing necessary information to populations. Similarly in the weeks and months following the discussion at the World Trade Organization, Thailand also faced aggressive pushback directly from the alcohol industry and ultimately decided not to pursue the new labelling regulations.

But now, according to New York Times reporting, Thailand is taking action again with proposed regulation requiring graphic warning labels similar to those on tobacco products. These would include texts such as “alcoholic beverages can cause cancer” and vivid imagery to emphasise the health risks caused by alcohol.

Norway

In April 2022, the Norwegian Directorate of Health published its science-based recommendation for labeling alcoholic products with a health warning, especially concerning cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The recommendation comes after extensive investigations and alcohol labeling is set to be an important element of the government’s new alcohol strategy.

Australia and New Zealand

The unique joint food regulatory systems in Australia and New Zealand which covers alcoholic beverages enabled a cross-country approach to be applied to implementing new health warning labels. For many years the two countries have required labelling for standard alcoholic drinks and alcohol content. In 2020 a new law was passed requiring mandatory warnings about the risks of consuming alcohol while pregnant on all packaged alcoholic beverages of more than 1.15% alcohol volume. Larger products have additional requirements including a pictogram alongside text base warnings. Font colour spacing and formatting requirements are set but the law does not currently mandate position or orientation on the container. The labelling regulation came into force on July 1, 2020 requesting that all packaged alcohol manufactured after August 1, 2023 bears the appropriate warning label.

United States

In the United States, Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy recently called for updating alcohol warning labels to include cancer risks, reports the Associated Press.

A 2022 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that the current alcohol health warning labels in the United States are based on outdated science. Researchers found the labels to be inadequate.

Therefore, they called on policymakers to implement new and improved alcohol health warning labeling based on the latest evidence, specifically on alcohol and cancer. Doing so would improve awareness about alcohol’s serious health risks and protect the right of people in the US to be informed about the health risks of alcohol industry products.

If enacted, this would mark a significant shift in U.S. public health messaging.

Already in 2020, advocates filed a petition to the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in the United States to upgrade the warning labels on alcohol containers to include cancer risk. Labeling has been found through previous research to be effective in increasing public awareness about cancer risk and to reduce consumption.

European Union

In 2021, the European Commission launched “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan”. The ambitious plan aims to reduce the cancer burden in the European Union affecting patients, their families and health systems. It addresses cancer-related inequalities between and within EU Member States with actions to support, coordinate and complement Member States’ efforts.

Prevention in general and alcohol policy solutions in particular are central elements in the effort to beat cancer in the EU. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan contains the target of – at least – a 10% reduction in per capita alcohol use by 2025, as countries had already agreed in 2015 when adopting the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

To achieve this target the European Commission will improve the use of three alcohol policy best buys in Europe:

1. It will review EU legislation on the taxation of alcohol.
2. It will review cross-border alcohol trade from a public health perspective.
3. It will reduce exposure of young people to alcohol marketing.

Furthermore, the Commission was set to introduce mandatory alcohol labelling for ingredients and nutritional value before the end of 2023.

Since 2021, little has happened regarding robust alcohol policy action by the European Commission. The Commissions seems to be captured by Big Alcohol: Immediately after the release of the Beating Cancer Plan the alcohol industry launched an aggressive fight against labeling, using tactics of muddying the science and using their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives against this public health measure. 

Jamaica

As part of a package of policy interventions to tackle non-communicable diseases, the Jamaican government was planning to advance alcohol labeling by way of a Green Paper, in 2020.

The Commonwealth of Independent States

Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States that are also member states of the Eurasian Economic Union developed the only international document to enact binding provisions on alcohol labelling superseding any previous national regulations.

The provisions include that all alcoholic beverages must display the statement “excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health” and must take up at least 10% of the label. Contrasting capital letters in an easy-to-read font should be used and information should be applied in a way that is clearly and easily read by a consumer.

This effort is a promising example of a region of nations coalescing toward the implementation of health promotion tools in a concerted way but it was severely watered down by alcohol industry interference, that eliminated cancer warning labeling.

Canada

In Canada concern is rising about the low levels of recognition of the real harm caused by alcohol.

Although Canada does not mandate cancer warnings on alcohol, a bill that would require labels that note a direct link was introduced in the Canadian Parliament in 2022, by the Honorable Senator Brazeau.

Bill S-254, an Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning label on alcoholic beverages) was introduced by Patrick Brazeau, Senator of Canada, in November 2022, as a measure of preventing alcohol harm in the country. With the rising risk of cancer due to alcohol use in Canada, the bill requires that the warning labels provide clear and accessible information on alcohol products regarding the extent of the harm in using alcohol.

Despite the high health risks in Canada only 25% or one in four of those who use alcohol in Canada are aware of these risks, according to the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR). 

One of the major reasons for this lack of awareness is the fact that there is no government-mandated health warning labeling on alcohol products. 

There isn’t any health warning so the implicit assumption is that it can’t be serious or bad enough, or surely the government would require it – and they don’t,” said Dr. Tim Stockwell, a scientist at CISUR and professor at the University of Victoria’s psychology department, as per Capital Current.

Dr. Tim Stockwell, scientist at CISUR, and professor at the University of Victoria’s psychology department

Dr. Stockwell and a growing number of health experts, advocacy groups, and communities are now calling on the government to implement mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products such as those used on cigarette packets. 

In 2017 a study led by Dr. Stockwell and published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs provided evidence that alcohol health warning labels will work in Canada. 

In the study, the researchers with the permission of the Yukon Territory government in Canada experimented with implementing alcohol warning labels on alcohol products at a large government-owned liquor store in Whitehorse.

The results showed a 6.6% sales decrease in Yukon compared to a 6.9% increase in sales in a nearby territory used as the control group.

This will reach the people who need the message the most,” said Dr. Stockwell, as per Capital Current.

The more you [use alcohol], the more you see the messages. There’s kind of a perfect strategy (with AWLs) and I think almost anything else pales into insignificance.”

Dr. Tim Stockwell, scientist at CISUR and professor at the University of Victoria’s psychology department

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada (MADD) and the Canadian Liver Foundation are some of the major supporters of alcohol health warning labeling in Canada.

But the alcohol industry aggressively lobbies against health warning labels and thwarts science that shows the effectiveness of the policy. 

Dr. Stockwell’s Yukon study was initially meant to last for eight months but was stopped after just one month since the alcohol industry threatened to take legal action if not. After shutting down the study, the alcohol industry made media statements distorting and denying the evidence.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands concern is rising about the low levels of recognition of the real harm caused by alcohol.

In 2021, a research report by the Trimbos Institute outlined the possibilities for a mandatory provision of product information and health warnings about the risks of alcohol on alcoholic beverage labels for the Netherlands.

The research shows that labeling could raise awareness about alcohol harms and help prevent and reduce alcohol harm in the country.

Germany

Germany is another country, like the Netherlands, without concrete political action for mandatory cancer warning labels, but with growing public concern about alcohol harm and increasing support for warning labels.

A survey indicates that a majority of Germans are in favor of placing warning labels on alcoholic beverages: In a YouGov poll, 67% of respondents expressed support for labels warning about the health risks linked with alcohol use.

Low-risk alcohol use guidelines to sensitize the public

National low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines play a role in sensitizing people about the real extent of alcohol harm by outlining risks linked with alcohol use. Many countries are revising their recommendations to reflect growing evidence that no amount of alcohol use is safe or healthy. 

Movendi International is curating a resource page about low-risk alcohol use guidelines with currently 20 articles.

Canada

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has updated the low-risk alcohol use guidelines to a maximum of two alcoholic drinks per week.

The new guidance provides people in Canada with accurate and current information about the risk of harms linked with the consumption of alcohol. The results of the evidence review will also provide the scientific base for future alcohol policy initiatives in Canada.

Mexico

In 2023, the Secretariats of Health (SSa) and the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) launched the new Dietary Guidelines for the Mexican population.

These new dietary guidelines contain ten recommendations for a healthy and environmentally friendly nutrition approach. One of the recommendations is for people in Mexico to “avoid alcohol consumption for the well-being of our physical and mental health and of our families.”

The new dietary guidelines of Mexico have been developed free from interference from health harmful industries.

Nordic countries

Also in 2023, the latest edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) was published.

The so called NNR23 contain important improvements. They stress the absence of a safe lower limit for alcohol, aligning with a growing body of scientific evidence. These guidelines not only impact health but also address environmental sustainability.

Europe

The European Code Against Cancer (ECAC) is an initiative of the European Commission to inform people about key actions they can take for themselves or their families to reduce their risk of cancer. The ECAC was first launched in 1987. The current 4th edition (ECAC4) was published in 2014 and consists of 12 recommendations that people can follow without any special skills or advice.

It has been estimated that almost half of all deaths due to cancer in Europe could be avoided if everyone followed the recommendations.

WHO’s specialized cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), developed the Code, which is the outcome of a two-year collaboration between cancer specialists, scientists and other experts.

The recommendation regarding to alcohol consumption is:

If you drink alcohol of any type, limit your intake. Not drinking alcohol is better for cancer prevention.” 

European Code against Cancer

Latin America and the Caribbean

The new Latin America and Caribbean Code against Cancer – released in 2023 – recommends avoiding alcohol to people and advises governments to use alcohol taxation, other alcohol policy best buys, and alcohol warning labels to prevent cancer.

A consortium comprising experts and civil society delegates hailing from Latin America and the Caribbean has crafted a new set of preventive measures for cancer. These recommendations draw from the latest scientific insights and have been tailored to address prevalent situations in the subregion. The assembly was jointly convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization (PAHO), and the Pan-American Health Organization.

United Kingdom

As Reuters reports, the United Kingdom’s National Health Services (NHS) recommends limiting alcohol use to 14 units per week, stressing that “there’s no completely safe level of [alcohol use]”.

In January 2016, the UK announced and began implementing revised guidelines for low-risk alcohol use of 14 units (112 g) per week for men and women. This was a reduction from the previous guidelines for men of 3–4 units (24–32 g) per day.

But there was no large-scale promotion of the revised guidelines beyond the initial media announcement.

In 2020, a scientific analysis of the impact of the guidelines showed that announcing new UK low-risk alcohol use guidelines did not lead to a substantial or sustained reduction in alcohol use or a downturn in the long-term trend in alcohol consumption, but there was evidence of a temporary reduction in alcohol consumption.

And in 2023, another study examined trends in public awareness and knowledge of low-risk alcohol use guidelines in the UK since their revision in 2016.

The study found that the majority of adult alcohol users in the UK are aware of low-risk alcohol use guidelines. However, six years since their announcement, knowledge of the revised low-risk alcohol use guidelines remains poor. Less than a quarter know the recommended weekly limit and only around half think it is 14 units or less.

Inequalities have persisted over time, such that disadvantaged groups remain less likely to know the guidelines.

Australia

The “Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol” were released in 2020 by the National Health and Medical Research Council. Based on the latest evidence, the guidelines provide advice on how to keep the risk of harm from alcohol low. They refer to an Australian standard alcoholic drink (10 g ethanol).

The low-risk limit of alcohol intake for healthy adults changed from two standard alcoholic drinks per day (effectively 14 per week) to ten per week.

The new guideline states that the less alcohol a person consumes, the lower their risk of harm from alcohol. The recommended maximum on any one day remains four alcoholic drinks (clarified from previously “per drinking occasion”). Guidance is clearer for pregnancy and breastfeeding, and for people aged less than 18 years, recommending not to consume alcohol.

The guidelines include an additional key message which says ‘Drinking alcohol increases the risk of many cancers. The level of risk increases as more alcohol is consumed’.

France

France advises adults to consume no more than 10 standard alcoholic drinks per week, with at least two alcohol-free days, reports Reuters.

The French public health agency explicitly warns that even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of seven types of cancer, including breast and colorectal cancer.

Germany

According to Reuters, Germany sets daily limits of 12 grams of alcohol for women (equivalent to one small beer) and 24 grams for men (two small beers).

The German low-risk alcohol use guidelines also recommend at least two alcohol-free days per week, highlighting links to bowel, liver, and breast cancers.

Norway

Norway has adopted a scientific approach, clearly stating that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption.”

Norway’s low-risk alcohol use guidelines emphasise the risks of breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

Spain

Spain has also adopted a scientific approach, clearly stating that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption.”

Spain’s health ministry stresses that even small amounts of alcohol use can increase the likelihood of long-term health problems.

Japan

In 2023, a health ministry expert panel had drafted guidelines for low-risk alcohol use, setting the daily doses of pure alcohol that raises risks of diseases at 40 grams or more for men and 20 grams or more for women.

The low-risk alcohol use guidelines are subject to public consultation and alcohol industry interference.

In their current shape, the Japanese guidelines fall short of international standards and latest science.

Public awareness campaigns

Public health campaigns are useful in raising awareness about the risks of alcohol, including the direct link between alcohol cancer. These initiatives can play a key role in complementing alcohol policy making efforts, as well as popularizing low-risk alcohol use guidelines.

For example, France has been proactive in launching campaigns to educate people about the risks of alcohol, even at low levels. Norway focuses on highlighting specific cancers, such as breast and gastrointestinal cancers, linked to alcohol use. In addition to its labelling laws, Ireland has implemented minimum alcohol pricing to reduce population-level alcohol use and harm.

The WHO emphasizes the link between alcohol and over 200 health conditions, including several cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Their campaigns encourage countries to adopt consistent public health messaging based on this evidence.

Sweden

Four out of ten people in Sweden say they would consume less alcohol or quit completely if they knew the cancer risks linked to alcohol. But many Swedes do not know that alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer. Above all, many people in Sweden do not recognize yet that even a low dose alcohol use increases the risk. In 2023, a survey revealed the low levels of awareness.

The survey was part of the campaign launch to increase public recognition of the link between alcohol and cancer.

All in all 18 organisations, authorities, and companies support the ground-breaking campaign. In addition to Movendi International member organization IOGT-NTO, there are two other non-profit organizations with a focus on alcohol prevention, Sweden’s National Council for Alcohol and Narcotics Issues, SLAN, and the Central Association for Alcohol and Narcotics Information, CAN. Several other organizations with a focus on cancer are involved, too, such as the Regional Cancer Centers (RCC), the Cancer Foundation, the Breast Cancer Association, the Cancer Network and the Mouth and Throat Cancer Association. And additional supporters are organizations that organize healthcare personnel, such as the Swedish Association for General Medicine, the National Association of Dietitians, the Swedish Medical Association, the Swedish Nurses Association, and the Nurses in Cancer Care. Other partners are the Addiction Center Stockholm, Systembolaget, the government’s alcohol retail monopoly, and the consulting company Beteendelabbet.

In 2024, Emil Juslin of IOGT-NTO discussed the campaign in more detail.

WHO Europe: Redefine alcohol

In October 2024, WHO Europe launched a new regional campaign to close the information gap concerning alcohol’s true harm, by sharing the latest research on alcohol’s health impacts and encouraging open discussions about the often-overlooked harms.

“Redefine alcohol” calls on Europeans to reflect on the role alcohol plays in their personal lives and in wider society, urging a reconsideration of alcohol’s role in daily life, celebrations and traditions.

Since October, WHO has shared multiple inspiring personal stories of the meaning of redefining alcohol.

A number of governments are participating in the campaign, such as:

• Directorate of Health, Iceland,
• National Center for Health, Hungary,
• Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family, of the Flemish Government,
• Public health agency of the government of Aragon, Spain,
• Health foundation of the Steiermark region, Austria,
• Federal Center for Health Awareness, Germany,
• The newspaper of Ceuta, Spain, and
• The city of Kuopio, Finland

And for the seventh episode of the third season of the Alcohol Issues Podcast, Movendi International invited WHO Europe to discuss how WHO Europe is working to denormalize alcohol and support people and policy makers to take action for preventing and reducing alcohol harm. We explore Redefine Alcohol – a groundbreaking new campaign launched by the World Health Organization in Europe. 

Together with Aleksandra Olsen of WHO Europe we’re telling a story that might change how you think about the role of alcohol in society.

Overcoming barriers to awareness: How Big Alcohol fights cancer warning label and misleads the public

Despite progress, challenges persist. According to the Associated Press, a significant hurdle is the widespread misconception that “moderate” alcohol use is beneficial for health. Early studies suggesting these benefits made severe methodological mistakes, such as failing to account for the “sick-quitter” effect and failed to account for socioeconomic factors, such as education and healthcare access, which skewed the results. More recent research shows that even low-dose alcohol use poses significant health risks, including cancer.

As the New York Times reports, corporate resistance also hampers progress.

In 2022, a landmark study showed the reasons why alcohol companies fight aggressively against warning labels on their products:

The study found that prominent health warning labeling on alcohol products make the products unappealing and socially unacceptable to people. Participants who viewed the health warning labels were also more likely to report positive cognitive and behavioural impacts, such as increased awareness of health risks and wanting to use less alcohol, compared to those who did not see the labels.

And in 2024, a ground-breaking study from Chile showed that warning about cancer on alcohol products reduces people’s intention to buy alcohol.

This was the first study to examine, in a large randomized experiment, how warning labels directed to at-risk populations versus the general public impact consumer behavior.

The results show that general health warnings, especially those related to cancer, effectively reduce alcohol selection across various groups.

Considering these effects of alcohol warning labeling, the alcohol industry fights aggressively against this policy measure in many ways. Some of the alcohol industry actions against health warning labeling are:

• Lobbying against evidence-based independent mandatory alcohol warning labeling.
• Advocating to use self-regulated outdated alcohol labeling which can mislead the public.
• Thwarting independent research on alcohol warning labeling.

Upending cancer warning label study in Yukon, Canada

In 2018, a Globe and Mail Access to Information request exposed alcohol industry efforts to shut down research about how warning labels could affect consumers’ attitudes and behaviours. For eight months, new, more prominent stickers would be attached to cans and bottles of alcohol warning of cancer risks linked with alcohol consumption. 

The study was supposed to be a public health experiment, backed by Health Canada and Yukon’s chief medical officer of health. The research was part of a larger public health strategy, and Yukon provided an enthusiastic testing ground.

However, the alcohol industry in Yukon was opposed to the government-funded study that put cancer warnings on alcohol bottles. Big Alcohol lobbied the Yukon government to shut it down – as e-mails show.

In December 2017 – shortly after the study had begun – the Yukon Liquor Corp. suspended the investigation by researchers from Public Health Ontario and the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. The study resumed in March, but references to the cancer risks associated with alcohol use were no longer on the labels.

The liquor industry indicated a possibility and/or likelihood of legal action.

The challenge to us as a small jurisdiction was to decide whether to spend money on social responsibility messaging through a range of tools, or to risk spending significant money on protracted legal costs … we chose to direct resources toward social responsibility initiatives,” told Yukon Liquor Corp. manager Patch Groenewegen to ‘As It Happens’ in an emailed statement.

Patch Groenewegen, manager, Yukon Liquor Corp.

But even from the limited time the researchers had to study the effects of cancer warning labels, before alcohol industry interference shut the study down, results were clear: the introduction of new highly visible alcohol warning labels displayed on the containers of alcohol products sold in a major Yukon liquor store was associated with significantly reduced per capita alcohol consumption.

Misleading labeling by alcohol companies in Australia

Health-oriented marketing on alcohol product labels such as ‘‘low carb’’ and ‘‘no added sugar’’ are misleading people in Australia into thinking these products are healthier than other alcohol products.

In 2022, Cancer Council Victoria reported that over 75% of adults who use alcohol in Australia think ‘‘low carb’’ and ‘‘no added sugar’’ labels were healthier options despite being categorized as full-strength alcohol products.

Science has proven that no amount of alcohol is healthy. Better alcohol product labeling is needed to ensure people understand the real harm linked to alcohol.

At a time when Australians are becoming more focused on their health, we should be supporting efforts to live healthier lifestyles,” said Dr. Ashleigh Haynes, David Hill Research Fellow at Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, as per The New Daily. 

Instead, alcohol companies are capitalizing on this shift, using health-related marketing claims to trick consumers into thinking their alcohol products are healthy when in reality, alcohol has significant negative health impacts.” 

Dr. Ashleigh Haynes, David Hill Research Fellow, Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer

And in 2023, a natioanlly representative poll exposed how alcohol companies in Australia use deceptive labels to hinder people’s recognition of the health risks of alcohol products.

The number of people who understood that alcohol was unhealthy fell from 48% to 40% when a “low carb” claim was added, and fell to 37% when a “low sugar” claim was added on the label. This is a 22.9% decline in the recognition that alcohol is harmful to human health.

Not even warning labels about alcohol during pregnancy

In 2022, a French study added to the evidence base from Anglosphere research concerning lobbying against alcohol warnings. Researchers analyzed lobbyists’ claims over a 20-year period in France covering both failed and successful industry lobbying.

This study found a total of 559 relevant press articles in the database, of which 85 were included in the analysis. 

Peaks in the number of publications were found to coincide with the warning label implementation and with the expansion-project schedule. 

A large majority of the claims promoted by the alcohol industry contested the pregnancy warnings measure (very few were in favor). 

The alcohol industry claimed:

• pregnancy warnings were a questionable measure (e.g., ineffective, or the pictogram clearly links alcohol to mortality),
• pregnancy warnings would have counterproductive effects (on women and the wider economy), and
• better alternatives exist (e.g., targeted prevention programs, prevention by health professionals).

Blaming the individual is exposed as ‘ploy’

And in 2022, a study revealed that people view Big Alcohol’s key strategy to avoid alcohol policy action as ploy. The study asked 20 alcohol users aged 21 to 63 for their views on the effectiveness of alcohol labels, and considered whether it is likely that labelling can contribute to reducing people’s alcohol consumption.

The interviews found that the participants viewed “responsible” alcohol consumption messages as a ploy by the alcohol industry to be seen as caring without taking tangible action. Participants in the study were critical of “responsible” consumption messages.

Looking ahead: the path to health promotion

Countries such as Ireland and Thailand are setting a new standard for alcohol policy by implementing clear and evidence-based labelling laws and public health campaigns. Their efforts demonstrate the potential for comprehensive policies to save lives and protect future generations.

By prioritising evidence-based strategies, governments can counter corporate interference, dispel harmful myths, and foster a culture of prevention that protects people’s health and promotes people’s right to live up to their full potential.

For more reading

Science Digest: “Labels on Alcohol Bottles Increase Awareness of Alcohol Harms, Guidelines“

Science Digest: “Do Alcohol Labels Work? Maybe.“

Study: “Enhanced Alcohol Labeling Would Improve People’s Recognition of Alcohol Risks”

Science Digest: “Implementing Health Warnings on Alcoholic Beverages“

Science Digest: “Alcohol Labelling in the Global Food System“

Sources 

New York Times: “Which Countries Warn That Alcohol May Cause Cancer?“

Reuters: “Countries’ guidance on alcohol consumption“

US News: “How Drinking Alcohol Can Affect Your Health“