WHO Calls For Cancer Warning Labels Like Cigarettes On Alcoholic Drinks All Over Europe

Illustration. (Unsplash/Edgar Chaparro)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) released new findings on Friday regarding a lack of "worrying" awareness about alcohol-to-cancer relations across Europe, calling for warnings such as in clear and prominent cigarette packs in the region with heavy warrants in the world.

Global health agencies have repeatedly warned that alcohol causes cancer and has supported a clear labeling, but has never been this sereceptive in its calls for new government regulations.

Earlier this year, the Chief US General Surgeon also called for a cancer risk warning on the label of alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol causes 800,000 deaths across Europe each year but only a fraction of the population is aware of the risks, the WHO office in Europe said.

The study found that only 15 percent of respondents knew that alcohol could cause breast cancer and 39 percent were aware of its relationship with colon cancer.

"Although cancer is the main cause of alcohol death in the European Union (EU), public awareness of the relationship between alcohol and cancer is still very low," the WHO said.

Relying on self-regulation, as the industry wants, poses a risk for alcohol manufacturers to use "incontradictless placements and ambiguous messages" or use QR codes that buyers tend to ignore, he said.

In contrast, alcoholic beverages must display "clear and prominent health warnings" in a written format that can be combined with images "to maximize reach and empower consumers with clear and accurate information to make the right choices about their health," he said.

"Simple pictograms and text messages can be as effective as graphically more photos," a spokesperson said when asked about the type of warning.

Currently, only three of the 27 EU countries - France, Lithuania and Germany - have some form of warning labels, the WHO said.

Meanwhile, Ireland plans to provide a wider cancer warning to alcoholic beverages from May 2026, he said.