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AFS comment on new WHO Europe Report on alcohol labelling and cancer warnings

The World Health Organization (WHO) Europe has today (14 February) published a report calling for prominent, mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products to raise public awareness that alcohol causes cancer.

Alcohol causes about 800 000 deaths annually in the WHO European Region, home to the heaviest drinkers in the world.

Alcohol is known to cause at least seven different cancers, including cancers of the breast, liver, bowel, mouth, throat, larynx (voice box) and oesophagus (gullet).

Commenting on the report, Alison Douglas, CEO of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said:

“Alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer across the globe. Here in Scotland, alcohol is responsible for over 1,000 cases of cancer each year according to Cancer Research UK. Around 1 in 10 breast cancer cases in the UK are caused by alcohol.

“Despite these startling figures, and public health education efforts, public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer remains low, with 1 in 2 people in Scotland still unaware that alcohol causes at least seven different cancers.

“The alcohol industry seeks to keep the public in the dark about the health risks of their products by choosing not to provide us with the clear information we need to make informed choices about our health.

“We don’t have to go on accepting this. We all have a right to know what’s in the products that we consume. Ireland has already legislated to introduce warning labels from May 2026. It’s time the Scottish Government empowered consumers in Scotland by introducing mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products.”

Read the full WHO Europe Press Release