By Albert Allotey
Accra, May 14, GNA – The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development Ghana (VAST-Ghana), has urged the Ministry of Health representatives at the ongoing 49th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL49), to support four proposals during the session.
The proposals were the new work initiated on alcohol labelling, as proposed in document CX/FL 26/49/8, paragraph 14(a), aimed at amending or revising the three Codex texts that currently treat alcohol as an ordinary food product, namely CXS 1-1985, CXG 2-1985, and CXG 23-1997.
The establishment of Electronic Working Group, chaired by Tanzania and open to all interested Members and Observers, to draft proposed amendments for consideration during CCFL50.
The rest were the affirmation during discussions that consumers and the public have the right to accurate and accessible information about products they purchase and consume.
“This should include recognition that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen and a causal factor in at least seven cancers, and that health warnings, including cancer warnings, should form part of the alcohol labelling work programme.”
And resisting attempts to defer this important work, narrow its scope solely to alcohol strength information, defer standard-setting responsibilities to alcohol industry-aligned bodies, or permit QR codes and electronic labels to replace clear and visible on-pack health information.
The CCFL49 is having a five-day session from May 11-15, 2026, in Ottawa, Canada and deliberating on the application of labelling provisions to alcoholic beverages.
The advice was contained in a letter written by Mr Labram Musah, the Executive Director of the VAST-Ghana to the Minister of Health to draw his attention to the discussions at the session.
It stated: “Honourable Minister, improving alcohol labelling standards aligns strongly with Ghana’s commitments toward non-communicable disease prevention, public health promotion, consumer protection, and implementation of evidence-based health policies.
“Strong and visible health information on alcoholic beverages can contribute significantly to raising public awareness about alcohol-related harms and strengthening informed consumer choice.”
He said, “Effective alcohol labelling, therefore, represents an important public health intervention to improve consumer awareness and support informed decision-making.”
Mr Musah who is also a board member of the Movendi International, a leading global voice on alcohol control stated that alcohol consumption remains a major public health concern globally and in Ghana.
“Scientific evidence from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen,” he said.
He pointed out that alcohol use is causally linked to at least seven types of cancers, in addition to contributing significantly to liver disease, cardiovascular diseases, injuries, mental health conditions, and other non-communicable diseases.
The VAST-Ghana commended Codex Committee on Food Labelling chaired by Tanzania, for its extensive work while lauding Ghana, and other Member States for their constructive support toward advancing evidence-based food labelling standards within the Codex Alimentarius framework.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei