Clear warning labels on alcohol products are more than just stickers — they can shift awareness and policy. Research presented by WHO Europe, including findings from Dr Erin Hobin in Canada, shows that these labels can reduce alcohol consumption by up to 7 percent. More importantly, they increase understanding of alcohol’s health harms, including its link to cancer, and lead to greater public support for effective policies like minimum pricing.

Still, the alcohol industry continues to resist. As Dr Paula O’Brien explains, the industry often uses legal threats and misleading arguments to delay or weaken labelling policies. But these arguments typically don’t hold up, and governments shouldn’t be intimidated. Australia’s experience shows that relying on self-regulation doesn’t work – only mandatory labelling ensures that consumers get reliable health information.

Dr Jürgen Rehm adds that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, known to cause at least seven types of cancer. Yet most bottles in Europe remain unlabelled. There’s a major information gap between what science knows and what the public sees. Health warnings on bottles are a necessary step to close that gap and are a key part of the EU’s Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. It’s time to give people the facts — right where they need them.

Find more from WHO Europe (July 2025)