If the United States follows Friday's call from the Surgeon General for cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages, it will join a small number of countries advising drinkers of the risks.
The World Health Organization concluded in 1988 that alcohol is carcinogenic to humans, and has long said that alcohol's harms are well-documented. “A safe level of alcohol intake against cancer cannot be established,” the WHO reported in 2023.
However, a group of researchers found in a study published in 2020 that only a quarter of countries around the world have mandatory health warnings regarding alcohol. Their language is generally vague and cancer warnings are rare.
The report by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy included a summary of studies and reviews published over the past 20 years, including a global study involving 28 million people in 195 countries and territories. This study found that the higher the alcohol intake, the higher the risk of cancer.
Here are some countries that have linked cancer to alcohol, or are considering more aggressive labeling.
South Korea
South Korea is the only country that has a label warning against liver cancer. In 2016, the country introduced a series of mandatory labels on alcohol, including a warning about liver cancer.
However, manufacturers may choose to apply alternative labels to their products that do not mention cancer.
According to the WHO, South Korea has long ranked among the top countries in alcohol consumption, and the country's authorities have occasionally attempted to take action against the country's drinking culture. For example, in 2012, Seoul police announced a crackdown on alcohol-related violence.
Ireland
From 2026, all containers of beer, wine and spirits sold in Ireland will have capital red letters reading: “There is a direct link between alcohol and deadly cancer'' and “Drinking alcohol causes liver disease.'' It is compulsory to affix a label that says:
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, the regulations will be signed into law in 2023, making Ireland the first country to publicly require links between all levels of alcohol use and cancer.
Ireland has long sought a range of proactive measures to curb alcohol use. In 2022, the country imposed a minimum price on alcohol, which Stephen Donnelly, the country's public health minister, said would “reduce serious illness and death from alcohol consumption and reduce the pressure on health services from alcohol-related illnesses.” “Measures aimed at mitigating this.” ”
Ireland has previously been at the forefront of other public health policies. In 2004, it became the first country to ban smoking in indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Since the law went into effect, more than 70 countries have followed suit.
Initiatives in other countries
Norway already heavily regulates alcohol, with beer sales restricted to 8pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays, and sales of wine, spirits and “strong beer” prohibited in the state's alcohol shops. only. However, in recent years, the country has developed proposals to include cancer warnings, according to local news media.
Thailand is also working on regulations that would require alcoholic beverages to have labels that include graphic images and warnings such as “Alcoholic beverages may cause cancer,” the Bangkok Post reported. Industry groups have criticized the proposal.
Canada does not require cancer warnings on alcohol, but a bill was introduced in the Canadian Parliament in 2022 that would require labels stating the direct link. A group of Canadian researchers attempted to study the effects of warning labels mentioning cancer in 2017, but complaints from alcohol industry groups prompted local authorities to suspend the study.
In recent years, authorities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries have supported the idea that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Some governments in countries with high drinking rates are also moving to reduce consumption, and in Russia the effort is one of the main public health goals.
Roni Caryn Rabin and Ted Alcorn contributed reporting.
