We banned smoking. So why can't we get warning labels on alcohol?

Alcohol Action Ireland chief says the powerful drink industry lobby has frustrated plans to put health warnings on its products

Then health minister Micheál Martin in Bewley's Café, Dublin, on March 29, 2004 — the first day of the smoking ban he spearheaded. Sheila Gilheany asks why the Taoiseach's concern about smoking is not being extended to alcohol. Picture: Haydn West/PA

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 is a world-leading piece of legislation which contains a range of measures designed to work as a package to reduce alcohol consumption and curb alcohol harm.

A central component of the legislation is the inclusion of alcohol health information labelling (due to be introduced from May 2026) so the public can know some of the health risks associated with alcohol.