U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has proposed that alcohol beverage containers should carry a warning label that alcohol is a leading cause of cancer. Murthy says in a report issued today that alcohol contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
The detailed report says that “in 2019-2020, 72% of U.S. adults reported they consumed one or more drinks per week,3 but less than half of U.S. adults are aware of the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.”
Murthy recommends a list of steps that should be taken to reduce alcohol-related cancer in the US, including but not limited to:
- Update the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcohol-containing
beverages to include a warning about the risk of cancer associated with alcohol
consumption. Pursue changes to label characteristics to make
the warning label more visible, prominent, and effective in increasing awareness
about cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption.
- Reassess recommended limits for alcohol consumption to account for the latest
evidence on alcohol consumption and cancer risk.
- Strengthen and expand education efforts to increase general awareness that
alcohol consumption causes cancer.
- Highlight alcohol consumption as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and
incorporate proven alcohol reduction strategies into population-level cancer
prevention initiatives and plans.
A federal requirement for manufacturers to include a warning label would require Congress to pass a bill and the president to sign it.
It’s been nearly four decades since Congress approved the current government warning label on alcohol, which warns of the dangers of drinking alcohol when pregnant and about the dangers of driving while drinking. No updates have been made since.
It’s unclear what appetite a Republican majority Congress will have to pass legislation regarding additional mandatory product labelling, but it will certainly be an issue that the alcohol beverage industry will join forces to lobby against.