Ireland has approved a new law making the country the first in the world to require cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages.
The Public Health Alcohol Labeling Regulations was signed on Monday (May 22), which will require labels to show calorie content, grams of alcohol, risks of cancer and liver disease, and the dangers of drinking while pregnant.
The law, however, won't take effect until May 2026 to give businesses time to conform to the rules.
The new labels will be required on all alcoholic drinks and will also appear on signage and displays inside pubs and liquor stores.
Officials said the new labels are intended to help inform people who aren't fully aware of the health effects of drinking.
According to the annual government-commissioned Healthy Ireland survey, 79% of respondents didn't know about the risk of breast cancer from drinking more than recommended, 60% didn't know about the risks of bowel cancer and 7% believed it was safe to drink small amounts of alcohol while pregnant.