FILE- Bottles freshly filled with beer move on a conveyor belt at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Jan. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger, File)

Should Alcohol Labels Say More? Examining the Role of Warnings

CHATTANOOGA (mocsnews.com) -. This past week, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy brought forth a discussion about alcohol and its link to cancer. He took the conversation a step further by advocating for the need for warning labels on all alcohol. Its purpose would be to tell users about its cancerous effects. The Associated Press wrote an article outlining the issue from both sides. For instance, Amanda Berger of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, explained that there are many lifestyle choices that carry the risk of cancer so the government shouldn’t make the change. 

There are currently existing warnings on alcohol bottles that warn against pregnant women drinking as well as drinking and driving. Surgeon General Murthy goes on to explain that consuming alcohol increases a person’s risk for at least seven types of cancer and the amount they consume also increases their risk. 

Congress first approved a warning label for tobacco in 1965. According to the FDA in March of 2020 the FDA finalized 11 new cigarette health warnings (Chopra). There have been systematic updates such as the one in 2020 as more research has been conducted. Tobacco warning labels can be accredited to a decrease in Americans smoking. 

The Director of Health at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Yasmine Keys, had this response when asked about her view, “Over many years, alcohol use has waffled in the scientific data for both negative and positive health outcomes. Due to this lack of clarity in the evidence, I think the focus should remain on conversations around alcohol consumption in general, age of onset of drinking alcohol, familial and behavioral risk factors, and the ongoing data around health outcomes”.

She goes on to explain warning labels can definitely increase awareness and understanding but it is important to recognize that drinking alcohol has numerous risks. This could cause issues with the usage of warning labels. 

She elaborates further by stating, “People in general (no matter the audience) can become a bit numb to information that feels or seems redundant like a warning label, so perhaps in conjunction with the labels or even on its own, thoughtful opportunities for discussion and evidence-based education would provide more effective methods of risk awareness and risk reduction”.

“It’s been nearly four decades since Congress approved the first government warning label on alcohol… No updates have been made since then” (AP). I’m sure you are curious to know what will happen but inevitably we won’t know until later this year when the dietary guidelines are updated. 

So, allow me to leave you with some questions to ponder. What do you think about the issue? Will Congress change the guidelines? Should they change them? How will it affect you as a consumer? We will soon find out for better or for worse and remember to always strive to be a Better Moc.

Sources: 

“AP.” Ap.org, 2025, newsroom.ap.org/detail/SurgeonGeneralcallsfornewlabelondrinkstowarnAmericansofalcoholscancerrisk/e12d879108d3d6298052df0369f2e4a7/text?Query=alcohol%20warning&mediaType=text&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=10¤tItemNo=0. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Chopra, Amandeep, et al. “Communicating Tobacco Health Risks: How Effective Are the Warning Labels on Tobacco Products?” Nigerian Medical Journal, vol. 55, no. 5, 2014, p. 411, https://doi.org/10.4103/0300-1652.140383. Accessed 18 Jan. 2020.

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