January 5, 2025 • 5 mins
US Surgeon-General Vivek Murthy is pushing for reassessment of consumption guidelines, and wants alcoholic drinks to carry a cancer warning label.
Alcohol Healthwatch Director, Andrew Galloway, says a trial in Canada saw labels as effective in reducing consumption.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And as I've just discussed KEI. Alcohol exporters could soon
be facing a new hurdle. The United States Surgeon General
has called for alcoholic drinks to carry a warning about
cancer risks on their labels. In New Zealand, around one
thousand cases of cancer are attributed to our attributable to
alcohol each year. Alcohol Health Watch director Andrew Galloway joins
me Now, Andrew, good morning, Good morning, good morning. Do
(00:44):
we underestimate the risk of that drinking can have on cancer.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I think all people in New Zealand deserve better knowledge
about the risk of cancer from drinking alcohol. We know
from an Otaga University study done in twenty twenty three
that only one and five roughly eighteen percent of people
unprompted we're aware of the link between alcohol and cancer,
so I think there's a very good foundation for having
more information and advice and warning labels would be a
(01:13):
good start.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Do you think a label on alcohol makes much difference?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I had to.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I mean, I don't drink a lot, but I drink
sort of moderately, lightly and regularly, and I had to
go and check what was in the fridge to see
if it had that warning about pregnancy of interest.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Did it, Yes, it did. Well, that's good. Look, it
does make a difference, but it is part of a package.
And as the researcher in the story on Sunday morning
answer from Ottaga University said, there's some other things we
can do, and I know they on the face of it,
they sound quite politically unachievable or publicly unwelcome, but things
(01:54):
like a small increase in price of alcohol or reducing
marketing or reducing availability are the most evidence based measures
of reducing consumption. But even if we look at warning labels,
there was a study done in Canada, a pilot and
a small area on exactly cancer risk warnings on alcohol,
and it found that sales reduced, which is ideally what
(02:17):
you want. You want people to be drinking less, and
there was increased support for better alcohol regulation amongst people
who saw those warnings. So not only would it make
people maybe have a pause when they were having a drink,
but they'd think more broadly about some of those harms
at alcohol courses, which are quite quite massive.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
What is the best way to educate people on this stuff?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Look, education is probably the least effective thing that we
can do its population based measures, I know, I know,
but it could be part of the package. There certainly
is room for better education, and warning labels are a
part of that. But things like price and availability and
marketing and restrictions on marketing are some of the better
(03:02):
better measures that we can look at. And these are
things that the Government have been presented with recommendations on
in the past, going back to twenty ten, the Law
Commission had to look at that, and later the Government
Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction had to look at
that nineteen.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, would or should we distinguish between a bottle of
Marlboro's Sauvignon Blanc and some cheap, nasty little artd.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Alcohol is alcohol is alcoholism, So there's really there's no
difference in terms of the impact alcohol has. So when
it's digested, it turns into as a caldrahight, which is
a chemical which can cross the blood brained area and
it's a really fast acting chemical, so it can go
anywhere and it doesn't it doesn't discriminate based on the
type of alcohol. Unfortunately. I know the case you're making that,
(03:46):
but there really is no benefit in terms of quality
of alcohol or perceived quality.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No, I guess I don't mean the quality of the alcohol.
I just mean the way we drink so sort of
easy to drink sort of things that you're sloshed down
because you're a teenager without much judgment on these things,
versus someone who might have a lasted wine a night
or maybe any you.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Know what I mean. I know what you mean. Yeah, No, definitely,
I think you've got a good point there. And there's
some products that have hit the market recently that are
really easy to drink and that are marketed appeal to
minus and so certainly i'd agree with you there. We
can we can have a look at the products that
are heading the market and whether they're actually going to
grow the problem of fuel and use drinking as well
(04:26):
as some of these other niches.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yep, a gut of curiosity. I mean, and this is
not meant to be a smarter question, but you know
all the evidence, but do you still enjoy a drink
from time to time?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
I do, sim I enjoy one or two drinks. I
certainly drink within the Canadian Low Risk Drinking guidelines, and
if you're interested, or if listeners are interested, they can
have a look at those Canadian guidelines. It's a really
easy website, No Alcohol dot c A and that's KOW
No Alcohol dot c and their guidelines have been reviewed
(05:01):
more recently than ours. Ours are being reviewed at the moment,
but they put low risk drinking at one to two
standard drinks per week, so that's a big reduction. And
I think for people in Altiera, New Zealand, I guess
the message is less is more so. And I think
we're really fortunate at the moment or recently to have
a huge array of low and no alcohol beverages which
(05:23):
are really attractive and really tasty, and so people can
space out there drinking and have some alternatives but still
enjoy the getting together with people and having a drink
but not having the risk.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Excellent. Hey, thanks so much for your time out, Andrew.
That's Andrew Galloway. He's Alcohol Health Watch Director.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from News talks 'b listen live on air
or online and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on Irradio
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And as I've just discussed KEI. Alcohol exporters could soon
be facing a new hurdle. The United States Surgeon General
has called for alcoholic drinks to carry a warning about
cancer risks on their labels. In New Zealand, around one
thousand cases of cancer are attributed to our attributable to
alcohol each year. Alcohol Health Watch director Andrew Galloway joins
me Now, Andrew, good morning, Good morning, good morning. Do
(00:44):
we underestimate the risk of that drinking can have on cancer.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I think all people in New Zealand deserve better knowledge
about the risk of cancer from drinking alcohol. We know
from an Otaga University study done in twenty twenty three
that only one and five roughly eighteen percent of people
unprompted we're aware of the link between alcohol and cancer,
so I think there's a very good foundation for having
more information and advice and warning labels would be a
(01:13):
good start.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Do you think a label on alcohol makes much difference?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I had to.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I mean, I don't drink a lot, but I drink
sort of moderately, lightly and regularly, and I had to
go and check what was in the fridge to see
if it had that warning about pregnancy of interest.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Did it, Yes, it did. Well, that's good. Look, it
does make a difference, but it is part of a package.
And as the researcher in the story on Sunday morning
answer from Ottaga University said, there's some other things we
can do, and I know they on the face of it,
they sound quite politically unachievable or publicly unwelcome, but things
(01:54):
like a small increase in price of alcohol or reducing
marketing or reducing availability are the most evidence based measures
of reducing consumption. But even if we look at warning labels,
there was a study done in Canada, a pilot and
a small area on exactly cancer risk warnings on alcohol,
and it found that sales reduced, which is ideally what
(02:17):
you want. You want people to be drinking less, and
there was increased support for better alcohol regulation amongst people
who saw those warnings. So not only would it make
people maybe have a pause when they were having a drink,
but they'd think more broadly about some of those harms
at alcohol courses, which are quite quite massive.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
What is the best way to educate people on this stuff?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Look, education is probably the least effective thing that we
can do its population based measures, I know, I know,
but it could be part of the package. There certainly
is room for better education, and warning labels are a
part of that. But things like price and availability and
marketing and restrictions on marketing are some of the better
(03:02):
better measures that we can look at. And these are
things that the Government have been presented with recommendations on
in the past, going back to twenty ten, the Law
Commission had to look at that, and later the Government
Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction had to look at
that nineteen.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, would or should we distinguish between a bottle of
Marlboro's Sauvignon Blanc and some cheap, nasty little artd.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Alcohol is alcohol is alcoholism, So there's really there's no
difference in terms of the impact alcohol has. So when
it's digested, it turns into as a caldrahight, which is
a chemical which can cross the blood brained area and
it's a really fast acting chemical, so it can go
anywhere and it doesn't it doesn't discriminate based on the
type of alcohol. Unfortunately. I know the case you're making that,
(03:46):
but there really is no benefit in terms of quality
of alcohol or perceived quality.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No, I guess I don't mean the quality of the alcohol.
I just mean the way we drink so sort of
easy to drink sort of things that you're sloshed down
because you're a teenager without much judgment on these things,
versus someone who might have a lasted wine a night
or maybe any you.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Know what I mean. I know what you mean. Yeah, No, definitely,
I think you've got a good point there. And there's
some products that have hit the market recently that are
really easy to drink and that are marketed appeal to
minus and so certainly i'd agree with you there. We
can we can have a look at the products that
are heading the market and whether they're actually going to
grow the problem of fuel and use drinking as well
(04:26):
as some of these other niches.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yep, a gut of curiosity. I mean, and this is
not meant to be a smarter question, but you know
all the evidence, but do you still enjoy a drink
from time to time?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
I do, sim I enjoy one or two drinks. I
certainly drink within the Canadian Low Risk Drinking guidelines, and
if you're interested, or if listeners are interested, they can
have a look at those Canadian guidelines. It's a really
easy website, No Alcohol dot c A and that's KOW
No Alcohol dot c and their guidelines have been reviewed
(05:01):
more recently than ours. Ours are being reviewed at the moment,
but they put low risk drinking at one to two
standard drinks per week, so that's a big reduction. And
I think for people in Altiera, New Zealand, I guess
the message is less is more so. And I think
we're really fortunate at the moment or recently to have
a huge array of low and no alcohol beverages which
(05:23):
are really attractive and really tasty, and so people can
space out there drinking and have some alternatives but still
enjoy the getting together with people and having a drink
but not having the risk.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Excellent. Hey, thanks so much for your time out, Andrew.
That's Andrew Galloway. He's Alcohol Health Watch Director.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from News talks 'b listen live on air
or online and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on Irradio
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