EUCAM, 3-12-2025
The WHO’s scientifically founded declaration about alcohol has caused an uproar in the Swiss media. In its declaration, the WHO states that alcohol consumption has no health benefits and that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, particularly because alcohol is a carcinogen and is related with many other health risks. According to the Swiss wine merchant Schwander, the WHO bases its recommendations on questionable studies. He indicates that research demonstrating the positive health effects of moderate alcohol consumption is ignored.
The issue has now also reached the political Swiss arena. Politicians throughout all parties want to prevent the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH, equivalent to a ministry of health) from adopting the WHO’s recommendations. The organizations Addiction Switzerland and Blue Cross Switzerland are criticizing the alcohol industry for systematically discrediting undesirable research findings on the risks of alcohol. The concerns of the Swiss alcohol industry are also possibly related to declining alcohol consumption in Switzerland, as is the case in many European countries.
Source: “Der Bund,” December 3, 2025;