Policy blueprint for cancer prevention
We know that no single policy can prevent cancer or stem the rising rates of overweight and obesity – we need a range of policies across lots of different areas to shape our environment to be healthier.

Designed as a one-stop shop for policymakers and advocates, our Policy blueprint for cancer prevention presents evidence on cancer risk – the World Cancer Research Fund Cancer Prevention Recommendations – with policy advice for population-level prevention across diet and weight, breastfeeding, physical activity and alcohol.
It outlines a package of policy recommendations for preventing cancer and living well beyond cancer, alongside our Cancer Prevention Recommendations.
Other important factors for cancer prevention not covered in this blueprint are: not smoking, reducing sun exposure, and vaccination against and for cancer-linked viruses (such as HPV, Hepatitis A and B).
Our policy recommendations build on state-of-the-art policy advice for population-level cancer prevention, including the World Health Organization’s non-communicable diseases (NCD) Best Buys, the Global action plan on physical activity, the Global action plan on alcohol, the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, and integrating existing our policy tools, such as the NOURISHING and MOVING frameworks.
The Policy blueprint for cancer prevention uses an integrated approach and outlines policies to promote healthy diets and weight, support breastfeeding, increase physical activity and reduce alcohol intake. Our policy recommendations span 8 areas:
- Marketing restrictions, such as mandatory advertising bans on food high in fat, sugar and salt, and sugary drinks, on TV and online, and restrictions on the promotion of breastmilk substitutes in line with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.
- Fiscal and legal tools to make unhealthy food and drinks less attractive, such as implementing taxes on food high in sugar, fat, and salt; providing subsidies to make healthy food more affordable; and applying excise taxes on alcoholic drinks, with revenue allocated to health budgets.
- Policies to create healthy and safe schools and workplaces, public institutions and health facilities, such as providing universal free or subsidised healthy school meals; setting high-quality nutrition standards for meals in schools; and enabling breastfeeding on return to work or study.
- Procurement, planning, and incentives in communities, such as introducing nutrition standards for public procurement; supporting local production of healthy food through short supply chains; or promoting community walking and cycling programmes.
- Measures to foster healthy urban and built environments, such as implementing restrictions on the density of fast-food outlets; establishing active design guidelines for urban planners; and incentivising health-promoting urban design.
- Policies to promote active and public transport, such as creating transport systems that prioritise walking, cycling and public transport, or enhancing road safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Strategies to effectively inform people, such as introducing robust front-of-pack food labelling; providing national alcohol guidance to inform the public of health risks; and health warning labels about alcohol harms including cancer risk and other health harms.
- Counselling services in healthcare, such as offering nutrition counselling in primary care; providing brief psychosocial interventions in healthcare settings; and integrating physical activity counselling into routine health services.
Co-benefits of cancer prevention policies
The Blueprint also highlights the potential co-benefits of cancer prevention policy, such as protecting against other NCDs including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It outlines how cancer prevention policies can contribute to:
- meeting sustainability and climate targets
- reducing inequities
- addressing commercial determinants of health
- fulfilling human rights
It also discusses potential trade-offs of cancer prevention policies across these 4 areas, such as when commercial interests and health do not align.
The Blueprint is accompanied by policy factsheets on each of our Cancer Prevention Recommendations. These provide in-depth advice to policymakers and advocates on how to roll out each Recommendation through population-level policies.