“The reality is that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer. Every year, alcohol causes nearly 3,500 cancers in Australia.” – Dr Ashleigh Haynes, Senior Research Fellow, Cancer Council Victoria Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer.
With one in three cancers being preventable, empowering Australians to make informed choices about their bodies and health is critical. But opportunistic ‘virtue marketing’ by the alcohol industry is blurring the lines and making it more difficult for people to make these choices.
By intentionally misleading health-conscious Australians with labels promising health, environmental, and/or social benefits, consumers are being led to believe that certain alcohol products do less harm than others.
“This is a deliberate tactic by the alcohol industry to ‘health wash’ or ‘green wash’ harmful, addictive products,” said Ashleigh. “These claims mislead consumers and downplay serious health risks.”
This health-washing trend was the focus of recent research by Cancer Council’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer. One study found over 36 per cent of new alcohol products feature terms like ‘no added sugar’, ‘vegan’, or ‘low carb’, with some bottles or cans making as many as eight of these claims.
While such claims appeal to health-conscious buyers, they distract from the biggest health risk of all – alcohol itself. And the approach is working. An astounding 75 per cent of Australian adults surveyed in another study incorrectly believed that alcohol products carrying such claims were better for them.
Cancer Council is using the findings from this study to urge Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Food Ministers to set stricter alcohol labelling laws to protect public health.
Clare Hughes, Chair of Cancer Council’s Nutrition, Alcohol, and Physical Activity Committee said higher standards for alcohol labelling were urgently needed to protect Australians’ health and wellbeing.
“Australians deserve clear, honest information about the risks of alcohol. The industry shouldn’t be allowed to disguise their products as healthy,” said Clare.
“We urge Food Ministers to prioritise public health by introducing policy that will remove carb and sugar claims on alcohol packaging, helping all Australians make more informed decisions about the alcoholic products they purchase.”
<<- Back to 2024 Annual Review