In Ireland, a new law has been approved, making it mandatory for alcoholic drink products to prominently display comprehensive health warnings.
Health minister Stephen Donnelly signed the new legislation into law on Monday (22 May), which is scheduled to be enforced starting from May 2026. The legislation encompasses various requirements, including informing consumers about the hazards associated with alcohol consumption and disclosing the calorie content of the product.
While the specific wording for the labeling has yet to be finalized, the upcoming regulations will ensure that consumers are provided with on-pack warnings regarding the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Additionally, they will be informed about the connections between alcohol consumption, liver disease, and life-threatening forms of cancer.
Ireland proudly asserts itself as the first nation worldwide to implement such measures for alcoholic beverages.
“This law is designed to give all of us as consumers a better understanding of the alcohol content and health risks associated with consuming alcohol,” Donnelly said. “With that information, we can make an informed decision about our own alcohol consumption.
“Packaging of other food and drink products already contains health information and, where appropriate, health warnings. This law is bringing alcohol products into line with that.”
However, this decision puts Ireland on a potential collision course with its trading partners, both within and outside the European Union.
Thirteen EU member states, including Italy, France, and Spain, have formally requested the European Commission to examine whether the labelling requirements might infringe upon EU law.
In the meantime, ten nations, including the UK, the US, New Zealand, Australia, and Mexico, have filed complaints with the World Trade Organization.
Just last week, industry bodies such as The Brewers of Europe and Spirits Europe reiterated their opposition to the legislation, asserting that it would lead to the exclusion of other European brewers from the Irish market.
SpiritsEurope, a representative body for drinks companies including Pernod Ricard, the owner of the Jameson brand, expressed concerns that the move could “fragment” the internal market of Europe by deviating from harmonized labeling standards.
“It would appear that Ireland conducted an insufficient analysis of the proportionality of their particular policy choices on labelling, as other suitable, yet less restrictive options to trade clearly exist”, said the director general Ulrich Adam. “The Commission is bound to present new, harmonised labelling rules for alcoholic beverages soon.
“In such a situation, common practice has it that plans for deviating national rules should be paused.”
In January, the Canadian Government made a significant reduction to its alcohol consumption guidelines, advising individuals to limit their intake to a maximum of two alcoholic drinks per week. This decision was accompanied by the assertion that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
The country is also actively pursuing the implementation of health warnings for alcoholic beverage products.
