Does Your Local Craft Brewer Want to Hide Alcohol Risks?

The Canadian Craft Brewers Association says it represents the interests of nearly 1,200 craft breweries, brew pubs and suppliers across the country.

It has also been actively advocating against developments in health policy related to alcohol.

Alcohol is considered a leading preventable cause of death in Canada. The risks are well established. Increased consumption raises the likelihood of cardiovascular issues, liver disease and at least seven types of cancer . In Canada, alcohol is responsible for nearly 9,500 new cases of cancer and 4,000 cancer deaths each year.

“The bottom line is, and this is where the science is absolutely consistent, that if you drink, when it comes to health, less is better,” said Dr. Tim Naimi, a physician and director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.

In recent years, public health leadership has been working to stem some of the harms of alcohol. Health Canada funded new guidance on alcohol and health published in 2023, which reduced consumption guidelines.

There have also been calls at the federal and provincial levels to put health warning labels on alcohol, similar to those used for tobacco and marijuana.

These initiatives have received predictable resistance from the alcohol industry — and that pushback isn’t limited to the international conglomerates often referred to as Big Alcohol.

The Canadian Craft Brewers Association and the BC Craft Brewers Guild, more often associated with neighbourhood small businesses with meaningful roles in their communities, have also been actively involved in advocating against these initiatives.

“I think we are on the wrong side of history,” one B.C. craft brewery owner, who said he appreciates many of the benefits offered by being part of the association, told The Tyee. The Tyee agreed not to name the owner, who feared that industry retribution could have a serious impact on his small business.

“Alcohol is a deadly poison that you can become addicted to and that’s just a scientific fact, and the idea that an organization I’m affiliated with is trying to make that harder to find out is troubling to me,” he said.

He believes informing customers of the risks is the right thing to do. “It’s not fair to the consumer if you’re not giving them all the information,” he said.

Beer, “done responsibly,” can be very enjoyable, he added. “You have to decide as a consumer to balance those benefits against the risks.”

The debate around updated drinking guidelines and warning labels comes at a time when the craft brewing industry is facing rising costs and shrinking margins. Last year, Business in Vancouver reported that 20 of B.C.’s 240 craft breweries had recently shuttered.

The Tyee reached out to nearly 100 breweries across the province. We learned that brewers on both sides of the debate are reluctant to speak publicly, demonstrating the conflicted positions of these small businesses between economic success and sometimes survival, industry solidarity and their relationships with their consumers and communities.