The SNP Government has been urged to follow the example of Ireland and introduce warning labels on alcohol products to spell out the dangers of drinking.
Alcohol Focus Scotland accused the drinks industry of trying to keep the “public in the dark” over potential health risks and failing to provide “clear information”.
From 2026, it will be a legal requirement for all bottles of alcohol in the Republic of Ireland to carry a label.
It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) today published a report calling for mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products to raise public awareness that drinking causes cancer.
Alcohol causes about 800 000 deaths annually in the WHO European Region, home to the heaviest drinkers in the world.
Drinking is known to cause at least seven different cancers, including cancers of the breast, liver, bowel, mouth, throat, larynx (voice box) and oesophagus (gullet).
Alison Douglas, CEO of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer across the globe.
“Here in Scotland, alcohol is responsible for over 1,000 cases of cancer each year according to Cancer Research UK. Around one in 10 breast cancer cases in the UK are caused by alcohol.
“Despite these startling figures, and public health education efforts, public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer remains low, with one in two people in Scotland still unaware that alcohol causes at least seven different cancers.
“The alcohol industry seeks to keep the public in the dark about the health risks of their products by choosing not to provide us with the clear information we need to make informed choices about our health.
“We don’t have to go on accepting this. We all have a right to know what’s in the products that we consume. Ireland has already legislated to introduce warning labels from May 2026.
“It’s time the Scottish Government empowered consumers in Scotland by introducing mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products.”
It was revealed earlier this month the number of Scots dying from alcohol abuse has reached a 15-year high with the impact of repeated covid lockdowns blamed for a rise in heavy drinking.
Deaths from drinking have steadily increased since 2020 despite the introduction of the SNP’s flagship minimum unit pricing policy.
There were 1,277 deaths from conditions wholly caused by alcohol recorded in 2023, compared to 1,276 the year before, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals.
There were 10,473 alcohol-specific deaths in the UK overall in 2023, a rate of 15.9 per 100,000 – another record high for the country.
Scotland continues to have the highest rate of alcohol deaths in the UK – 22.6 per 100,000 people.
The impact of repeated lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 – which saw many people forced to remain at home alone – has repeatedly been cited as a reason for rising heavy drinking.
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here