The World Health Organization supports that alcoholic beverages include risks such as cancer on their labels
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has extended its support for alcoholic beverages to be included in Describe the risks associated with its consumption, such as developing cancer.
“The harms of alcohol affect us all: families, communities and society. Instead of urging people to ‘drink responsibly’, we must raise public awareness of the extent of the harms associated with alcohol consumption. The World Health Organization has long advocated full labeling of alcoholic productsKarina Ferreira-Borges, WHO Regional Adviser on Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health in Europe, said in a statement.
This is what the World Health Organization said After Ireland announced that it would be the first country in the European Union (EU) to ensure that, from 2026, all alcoholic products carry danger labels. Health risks from alcohol consumption, including warnings about cancer risks.
“We commend Ireland for its progressive approach in prioritizing public health and setting a precedent in the European Union by introducing mandatory alcohol labeling,” said Ferreira Borges.
Thanks to this rule, Labels of alcoholic products in Ireland will include important information, Like calorie content and grams of alcohol. These posters will also prominently display warnings about the risks associated with drinking alcohol during pregnancy, as well as the risks of alcohol-induced liver disease and cancers.
Ireland will be the second in the world, after South Korea, to submit Cancer warnings on alcoholic products. Irish regulations specify detailed specifications for the size, color and other design elements of health warnings, ensuring the message is clear. It also requires similar health information to be provided in licensed buildings.
Alcohol consumption causes more than 200 conditions and diseases, including 7 types of cancer. In the European Union, light to moderate levels of alcohol consumption were responsible for nearly 23,000 new cancer cases in 2017, almost half of which were breast cancers in women.
“The medical evidence is clear that the risk of cancer applies even to lower levels of alcohol consumption.” It highlighted Ireland’s Secretary of State for Public Health, Welfare and National Drug Strategy, Hildegard Naughton.
According to Irish health authorities, the decision to introduce mandatory health labels on alcoholic products was taken due to “worrying statistics” about alcohol-related harm in Ireland, as well as “Low awareness” in the Irish population of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption.
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The Irish Health Survey, conducted in Ireland each year with over 7,000 respondents, showed that 7 percent of respondents thought it was safe to drink a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy and nearly 80 percent were unaware of the risks. breast cancer. People between the ages of 15 and 24 tend to be less aware of the risks associated with alcohol consumption than other age groups.
“This law is designed to make all of us, as consumers, more aware of the alcohol content and the health risks associated with its consumption. “Armed with this information, we can make an informed decision about our alcohol consumption,” Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said.
