Under the Influence: The Fight for Alcohol Labelling in Europe

2025-10-10

BRUSSELS / DUBLIN - For decades, European consumers have been warned about the dangers of smoking. Yet wine and beer still carry no clear health warnings, even though alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. This investigation reveals how the European alcohol industry has fought to keep it that way.

Through industry documents and freedom of information requests in Ireland and Brussels, the project exposes a coordinated campaign by alcohol producers and lobby groups to block or dilute new health labelling rules. When Ireland proposed to become the first EU country to introduce cigarette-style cancer warnings on alcohol, the industry reacted with intense pressure.

Behind the scenes, the same tactics once used by the tobacco industry reappeared. Industry representatives questioned well-established scientific evidence linking alcohol to cancer. While resisting health warning labels, alcohol companies promoted QR codes that few consumers ever scan for health information.

This investigation shows how one of Europe’s most influential industries continues to shape public health policy from Dublin to Brussels. It reveals a persistent effort to protect commercial interests at the expense of consumer information and to ensure that what’s on the label says less than what people have the right to know.

Image: © The Journal Investigates

Vincent Harmsen

Vincent Harmsen is a Dutch investigative journalist.

Irene Van Den Berg

Irene van den Berg (The Netherlands) has been an independent journalist since 2006.

Lars Bové

Lars Bové is a Belgian journalist and the coordinator of investigative journalism at the newspaper De Tijd.

Lise Witteman

Lise Witteman is a Dutch journalist who lives in Brussels.

Maria Delaney

Maria Delaney (Dublin) is the editor of The Journal Investigates, one of the only independent investigative units working at national level in Ireland.