Push for cancer warning labels on alcohol sold in Australia - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Public health experts want the labels on alcoholic drinks in Australia to be more detailed. (Getty Images: gilaxia)

An analysis of labels from 6,037 different alcoholic drinks sold in Australia has found just one in four included a voluntary warning label.

The study's lead author says this indicates harms are not being communicated clearly and wants labels to be more specific, warning consumers about the risk of cancer and liver disease.

The UK and Ireland have committed to introducing mandatory health warning messages on alcohol labels to include conditions such as cancer, but there are no plans to upgrade current mandatory labelling requirements in Australia beyond pregnancy warnings. 

Alcohol use is widespread in Australia, with about three in four people aged 14 and older consuming it over the course of a year.

But public health experts say harms associated with drinking, even at low levels, are not being communicated clearly enough to consumers.

Drinking alcohol is one of the leading risk factors for the burden of disease in Australia, and is linked to several types of cancer as well as liver disease, heart disease and stroke.

While it's mandatory in Australia to include a pregnancy warning on drinks containing 1.15 per cent alcohol by volume, additional warnings about alcohol-related harm are voluntary.

Australian research published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health analysed labels of 6,037 alcoholic drinks sold in Sydney stores to determine how many products included one.

The researchers found just one in four products included a voluntary warning label, most of which targeted specific groups, such as drivers or underage drinkers.

Two in three products included a responsible consumption message such as "drink responsibly".

But study lead author Asad Yusoff, of the George Institute for Global Health, said separate research suggested responsible consumption messages were "ineffective" and often "confusing" to consumers.

Australian guidelines recommend healthy adults drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.

Although the percentage of Australians consuming more than this amount was decreasing, Mr Yusoff said many people did not realise that even low-level drinking could cause harm.

"One to two standard drinks per day significantly increases your risk of developing both breast and colon cancer," he said.

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption, according to the World Health Organization.

Mr Yusoff said there needed to be clear and prominently placed warning labels on all alcoholic drinks sold in Australia, explicitly telling people about specific harms associated with drinking, such as cancer or liver disease.

"For a warning label to be effective it really needs to be on the front of the package."

Researchers want alcohol warning labels on the front of packaging, where consumers can see them easily. (Supplied: Asad Yusoff)

Eric Hadinata, an addiction medicine specialist who did not contribute to the study, noted that government-mandated pregnancy warning labels typically included the words "alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby" next to a pictogram.

Dr Hadinata wanted this warning to be more prominent and placed on the front label.

Terry Slevin, chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, who did not contribute to the study, said the low uptake of these voluntary labels was "not a surprise".

Like Mr Yusoff, Mr Slevin said warnings on alcohol packaging needed to be more detailed about the exact harms drinking could cause to have an impact.

This, he said, would give people "full, informed consent" about what they were consuming.

Australia's Food Standards Code outlines what information manufacturers need to include on their packaging, which varies depending on alcohol content.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have both committed to introducing mandatory health warning messages on alcohol labels.

The Irish laws, to be implemented in late 2028, will require labels to include calorie content as well as warning consumers about the dangers of drinking while pregnant and warnings about liver disease and cancer.

Both Mr Yusoff and Mr Slevin would like the Australian government to introduce similar legislation.

Dr Hadinata, who co-chairs the Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, also wants more detailed warnings, but suggests plain packaging similar to tobacco products will also improve health outcomes.

Alistair Coe, executive director of Alcohol Beverages Australia, said labelling in Australia already contained useful information and guidance, including alcohol content, the number of standard drinks and pregnancy warnings.

"Australia has one of the world's most comprehensive and transparent alcohol regulatory systems, supported by clear government guidance that considers all the evidence," he said.

"Policy efforts should remain targeted at the minority of people who need support, not the vast majority of responsible drinkers."

A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said alcohol labels were part of a "multi-pronged response" to increase awareness about and respond to alcohol-related harm, alongside other initiatives.

They did not comment on whether the department would seek to introduce additional mandatory health warning labels.