Bhubaneswar: With India ranking as the 9th largest consumer of overall liquor sales, but 2nd in spirit consumption, guzzling a whopping 663 milion litres in 365 days, a public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the Central, State government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to add CANCER warning labels on alcohol bottles.
As per the petition filed by social activist Yash Chilwar, World Health Organisation has declared alcohol as a Class I carcinogen (substance capable of causing cancer) but this fact is not communicated to public by the distillery manufacturers.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN INDIA
As per NFHS-5 study, the alcohol initiation age has come down to 16-years in India. The studies show the following age-group wise alcohol consumption.
- Adults 15+ years – 10%
- Women 15+ years – 1.3%
- Men 15+years – 18.8%
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION STATE WISE
As per the NFHS-5, the state-wise consumption of liquor beverages has been shown below. Odisha figures prominently in the map among largest consumer.
The map show Telangana tops the country, followed by Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Odisha.
CONSUMPTION ON ALCOHOL STATE WISE
The CMIE has released the following pattern of expenditure on alcohol state wise. Odisha holds the dubious rank of number 5 in the country. The maximum expenditure on alcohol is done by people in Telangana, flowed by Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha.
View the table below.
PETITION IN BOMBAY HC
The petition says, “Alcoholic drinks are an invitation to cancer and there should be specific and bold mention of the same on labelling of alcoholic bottles but the same is not being done.
"When a consumer purchases a product, it is his/her right, to know about the contents and information in their pristine and entire form," the petitioner contended.
The petitioner further claimed that developed countries like Ireland and South Korea have already mandated carrying warnings linking alcohol consumption to cancer
ALCOHOL CAUSES CANCER?
As per the US Surgeon General Advisory 2025 on alcohol and cancer risk:
- This advisory highlights alcohol use as a leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
- Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity.
WHY LABELLING NECESSARY IN INDIA?
When studies show alcohol is among the leading cause of cancer like tobacco, statutory warnings were written on packets of cigarettes, then how come it is not done in case of alcohol.
The 2025 US Surgeon General Advisory finds this big, which is the case in India too. (see the table above)
