The Renevlyn Development Initiative has urged the federal government to support discussions on alcohol warning labels at the 49th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, scheduled to be held in Ottawa, Canada.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the executive director, RDI, Philip Jakpor, on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Jakpor said the meeting, slated for May 13, presents Nigeria with an opportunity to support stronger global standards on alcohol warning labels and consumer information.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, sets international food standards.

Mr Jakpor said public health advocates had continued to push for specific labelling provisions for alcoholic beverages following the WHO’s 2023 declaration that no level of alcohol consumption is completely safe.

He noted that alcohol remains one of the least labelled consumer products globally, despite its classification as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer since 1988.

According to him, alcohol is linked to at least seven types of cancer.

Mr Jakpor urged Nigeria to support the mandatory use of health warning labels on alcoholic beverages.

“The Codex discussions present an opportunity for the Nigerian government to take a firm stand in support of labels on every bottle,” he said. “Consumers have the right to information about products they buy and use to enable them to make informed choices. The absence of clear and legible labels on alcohol bottles is no longer tenable.”

Mr Jakpor urged the government to prioritise public health over industry interests by supporting global decisions that could strengthen national alcohol regulations.

He said Movendi International had released a policy brief to guide governments participating in the discussions.

Mr Jakpor called on Nigeria and other countries to support the commencement of new work on alcohol labelling under Codex standards. He also advocated the establishment of an electronic working group to be chaired by Tanzania to draft proposed amendments for consideration at the next committee session.

Mr Jakpor urged governments to affirm consumers’ right to information about alcohol-related health risks, including cancer warnings.

He opposed moves to delay the discussions, limit labelling requirements to alcohol content alone, or replace on-pack warnings with QR codes and electronic labels.

(NAN)