Are consumers warned of the risks? An audit of voluntary health-related information on alcohol labels in Australia.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify the types, prevalence and location of voluntary health-related warnings and responsible consumption messages on alcohol labels in Australia.

METHODS

Images of 6,037 unique alcohol products were captured from three major Australian retailers in 2024. Each product was coded for the type and location of voluntary health-related warnings and responsible consumption messages. Descriptive analyses were conducted overall, by product type, origin and label location.

RESULTS

Prevalence of voluntary warning labels was low (25%). Warnings almost exclusively advised particular groups not to drink rather than providing information about specific harms caused by alcohol (e.g. cancer). Responsible consumption messages were found on 65% of all products. Most warnings (74%) and messages (75%) appeared on the back of product packaging.

CONCLUSIONS

In Australia, while alcohol products must display a pregnancy warning label, companies do not appear to be using product labels to inform consumers about the other serious health harms of alcohol use. Rather, many products display messages promoting responsible consumption that may act to confuse individuals about alcohol-related harm.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: To help consumers make informed choices, policymakers should seek to implement additional mandatory health warning labels while restricting the use of misleading messages around "responsible" alcohol consumption.