Putting cancer warnings on alcohol labels: lessons from across the globe

Alcohol is a well-established cause of cancer, and when it comes to cancer prevention, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. However, public awareness of this link remains low.

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) is on a mission to change this by driving robust action to prevent alcohol-related cancers. Alcohol labelling is a key focus, given its powerful ability to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer.

WCRF’s recent sessions at the World Cancer Congress (WCC) in Hong Kong and London Global Cancer Week (LGCW) put cancer warnings on alcohol labels at the heart of conversations about cancer prevention.

In this blog, we bring together key lessons from both sessions and perspectives from across the globe, with a clear message for policymakers: cancer warnings must be included on alcohol labels and protected from industry influence.

The right to health and the right to know

States have a duty to protect and promote human rights, including the right to health. This salient reminder from Ma-Anne Rosales, Regional Manager for Asia at the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, was the perfect way to begin McCabe and WCRF International’s joint session at WCC.

Upholding these rights means adopting effective policies, including labelling. Failure to do so can undermine not only the public’s right to health, but also their right to know, a point echoed at WCRF International’s LGCW session by Maik Dünnbier, Executive Director of Movendi International, a leading global organisation advocating to reduce alcohol harm.

Cancer warning labels are not about insisting on abstinence. They are about giving consumers clear, accessible and evidence-based information so they can make informed choices. Maik Dünnbier emphasised strong public support for cancer warnings, citing public surveys in countries including Germany, Czechia and Ireland.

Labels as a powerful mechanism to raise awareness and shift norms?

Increasing awareness of the alcohol-cancer link is crucial. Elaine Green, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at WCRF International, set out during LGCW why labels are such a powerful way to achieve this. Labels are visible at both the point of purchase and consumption, meaning people who drink more frequently are exposed to warnings more often.

As Sheila Gilheany, CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, highlighted in her contribution at LGCW, labels are an important and proportionate response to the scale of alcohol harm.

Beyond raising awareness and fulfilling the consumer’s right to know, Dr Pubudu Sumanasekara, Vice President of Movendi International, highlighted at WCC that labels can also help shift social norms around alcohol, as we have seen with tobacco.

As Ma-Anne Rosales put it: “Labels plant the seeds for behaviour change, for changing the norm and creating a more enabling environment to change behaviour.”

Labels can also work alongside wider public awareness efforts to help shift these norms. Sue Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy at Fresh & Balance, a regional programme based in the North-East of England, noted that awareness raising campaigns on alcohol and cancer can help create an environment that builds support for advocacy and behaviour change in the long term.

Best practice on alcohol labels

At our LGCW webinar, Elaine Green shared key takeaways from WCRF International’s new alcohol labelling brief, which sets out the evidence behind cancer warnings, what effective labels should look like and the legislation needed to support them.

Our briefing emphasises that good policy design is critical. Warnings must be prominent, specific and easy to understand, while rules should prevent companies from placing health and nutritional information behind QR codes or using vague language such as “drink responsibly”. Monitoring and enforcement are also crucial to ensure labels are applied consistently and remain visible in practice.

Prof Jin-Kyoung Oh from the National Cancer Centre Korea shared research from South Korea, where producers can choose from three different health warnings that reinforced the importance of these measures. While a large majority of alcohol products displayed a health warning, only a small proportion carried a cancer-related warning. Furthermore, compliance with key visibility requirements was weak. This underscores the need to ensure requirements are not only strong on paper but are also applied consistently in practice.

Combatting industry influence

Across both the WCC session and the LGCW webinar, industry influence emerged as a key barrier. Dr Pubudu Sumanasekara explained that the alcohol industry is working across all regions to “stop, block, or derail” alcohol warning labels, precisely because of robust, independent evidence showing their effectiveness. When it comes to cancer, Maik Dünnbier highlighted industry efforts to cast doubt on the well-established evidence that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, while Sheila Gilheany stressed the importance of including experts in the advocacy community to factually counter industry claims.

Ma-Anne Rosales emphasised that robust evidence is also one of the strongest tools for countering industry influence. Laws with clear public health objectives and a strong scientific evidence base are more defensible, with challenges successfully overcome even at the World Trade Organization.

Building resilient advocacy is equally important. At WCC, Maisha Hutton from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition highlighted the importance of coalitions in sharing the burden of responding to industry opposition. Similarly, at LGCW, Sue Taylor explained how partnerships with local authorities, health services, the police and others have helped build recognition of alcohol as a priority in the North-East of England.

Putting these lessons into practice

A key takeaway from both sessions is that progress is possible. Ireland is a prime example, with mandatory labels featuring a clear cancer warning already beginning to appear on shelves, despite industry successfully delaying official enforcement until 2028.

Canada and Norway are also making progress on labelling, while the UK has committed to introducing mandatory alcohol labels containing health warnings and nutritional information.

As this momentum builds, WCRF International’s alcohol labelling brief provides a clear, evidence-based guide for policymakers and advocates. If you are also advocating for mandatory alcohol labels, we would love to hear from you and explore opportunities to collaborate. Please get in touch with Melissa at m.dando@wcrf.org.