US regulators want to make it easier for people to know what’s in each of their favorite alcoholic drinks. The Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau announced that it is seeking public comment on two proposals aimed at overhauling the way nutrition facts are displayed on beer, wine and liquor packaging by introducing for the first time ever require nutrition labels on bottles and cans. That said, the health information should not come in the form of physical labels.
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According to an upcoming Federal Register notice, first reported by the Associated press on Jan. 16, the reform is intended to follow the agency’s mandate “to ensure that labels provide consumers with adequate information about the identity, quality and alcohol content” of alcoholic beverages. The information would likely be presented in the same way as existing nutrition labels and include the amount of alcohol content, calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein per serving. However, the sugar content would remain optional to include on labels. A second proposed rule would require companies to identify all top allergens such as milk, eggs, shellfish and tree nuts.
If approved, the changes would achieve a goal that consumer advocacy groups have sought for the past two decades $2.5 billion industry.
“The proposals represent an important step in ensuring consumers have access to the information they need to make informed choices, follow health guidelines and prevent allergic reactions,” the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said . wrote in a statement published on Thursday. The CSPI also pointed to its March 2024 survey, in which 63 to 77 percent of more than 1,500 Americans surveyed indicated their support for at least some form of mandatory content labeling.
Although companies voluntarily release nutritional information about the products, many companies still do not. A Survey 2021 of the top 150 U.S. beer and wine brands found that only 28 percent of the former and none of the latter brands had a full “Serving Facts” label. Only one beer at the time was labeled ‘Alcohol Facts’.
The CSPI first submitted a citizen request to support better transparency on nutrition and alcohol content in 2003. In 2022 they will has sued the Ministry of Finance for 19 years of alleged inaction on the petition.
However, if nutrition facts become mandatory, they may differ from traditional paper labels. The AP also noted Thursday that while some prominent trade groups already said they would support the reforms, they would prefer they come in the form of digital labels.
“Given the unique nature of wine making, the most accurate and least burdensome approach to providing nutritional information to consumers would be to allow the option of off-label disclosure via QR code or other electronic means,” said the Wine Institute, together with the Distilled Spirits. Council of the United States echoes similar hopes.
Either way, it will be some time before nutrition facts – physical or otherwise – are legally required for alcohol. After an open comment period and subsequent review, the new rules would take effect five years after the date of adoption.