Why alcohol in Ireland will soon carry warning labels

Drinking in Ireland

The Irish have traditionally had a reputation for drinking heavily, and alcohol plays a major role in the country’s culture. A 2021 survey by the Irish government found that although alcohol consumption was declining, it continued to be high — 37% of the population older than 15 years drank at least once a week (down from 41% in 2018), and 15% binge drank typically (28% in 2018).

Labels in other countries

Although alcoholic products in many countries warn against underage drinking and drinking and driving, only South Korea currently warns of the link between alcohol and cancers, according to an editorial in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Ireland will be the second country to do so.

According to the article, South Africa had enacted a law requiring stringent alcohol warning labels in 2017, but repealed it in 2020 under domestic and international pressure.

Countries such as Australia and New Zealand require labelling for standard drink and alcohol content, and a warning on risks of consuming alcohol while pregnant on all products with more than 1.15% alcohol, according to a 2022 report on health warnings on alcoholic beverages by the World Health Organisation.

Need for warning labels

Alcohol has been listed as a class 1 carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) by a WHO agency since 1990. Earlier this year, the WHO warned: “When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
Dr S K Sarin, vice chancellor of the Delhi-based Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences said alcohol was the leading cause of liver cancers in Europe. “Between 40% and 52% of all liver cancers in European countries are due to consumption of alcohol,” he said.

“Alcohol”, Dr Sarin said, “is one of the most socially accepted poisons”. Most people who came to his hospital with alcohol-related liver disease weren’t aware of the damage it can cause, he said.

The WHO report mentioned earlier said: “Current labelling practices across countries are not standardized as they are with medicine, food products and soft drinks. The inconsistencies in displaying information and other factors such as the scale of interventions and assessment methods have resulted in divergent practices and outcomes, leaving consumers without critical information to make decisions.”