Ireland to become first country to display warnings on alcohol

Today, 22 May, Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly signed law, according to which, from May 2026, detailed warnings about the potentially harmful effects of drinking will be placed on alcoholic beverages. This will make Ireland the first country to introduce this practice. Similar warnings are placed on cigarette packs in most countries.

Bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages are supposed to talk about the risk of cancer and liver disease, the dangers of drinking alcohol for pregnant women, as well as how many calories they contain. “With this information, we can make an informed decision about drinking. Other food and drink packages already contain health information and, where appropriate, health risk warnings. This law brings alcohol into line with these standards,” said Mr. Donnelly.

According to the Irish Health Research Council, consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country peaked in 2001, at 14.3 liters of pure ethyl alcohol per person per year. Since then, it has dropped to 10.2 liters. Nevertheless, Ireland remains in the top 10 for alcohol consumption in the world.

Ireland’s decision has already provoked opposition from other countries. More than ten states, including the UK, US, Mexico and Cuba, have filed a complaint against him with the World Trade Organization (WTO). In June, the WTO is to consider the complaint.

Several European countries, including Italy, Spain and France, also complained about this decision to the European Commission, considering the unilateral adoption of such a law a violation of European rules. So, according to the president of one of the largest Italian wine companies, Marchesi Antinori, Albiera Antinori, this undermines the idea of ​​a single European market. “Turnover of Italian wine in Ireland is very small, but it’s a matter of principle: you can’t do something like that inside the European Union,” she said.

Yana Rozhdestvenskaya