Why Aren’t There Nutrition Fact Labels on Alcohol?
Background
On November 8, 1990, George Bush Senior signed into law the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (see NLEA or for an abbreviated description of the act click here).  The act made nutrition facts commonplace on packaged foods.  The problem is that the NLEA covers foods only under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, and alcoholic beverages are not under the ruling of the FDA. If you recall the M.O.D. Squad from Thank You For Smoking, alcohol regulation has its own government entity apart from the FDA. Alcohol sales and labeling fall under the business of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which has not finalized any regulation pertaining to nutrition labels on alcoholic beverages. This separation of regulatory powers is one reason why your strawberry wine cooler does not have the same kind of nutritional content label as your bag of Cheetos.  Given the lack of nutritional value of the actual beverages, one may also suppose that the industry has been doing its part to ensure that the TTB drags its heels on that type of regulation.
The Movement
Advocates and consumer groups have been petitioning the TTB for more comprehensive labeling for years. The average consumer clearly wants change as well. In a survey conducted by the National Consumers League, 983 adult Americans aged 21 and over were asked if and what kinds of information they would like to see on alcoholic beverages. Overwhelmingly, consumers want more information about the products they consume:
• information on the alcohol content (93%);
• the list of ingredients (90%);
• the amount of alcohol per serving (87%);
• the number of calories per serving (83%);
• the serving size (82%);
• servings per container (81%);
• carbohydrates per serving (79%);
• fat per serving (77%); and
• protein per serving (70%).
Given the abundance of information already found on nutrition labels on other packaged goods, the TTB’s argument that the added “information will confuse consumers” is absurd. As recently as 2006, the FDA added trans fats to the long list of information offered up on modern labels, and no one seems to have had a nervous breakdown in the chips aisle. Furthermore, as the above survey suggests, the consumer is willing and even desires to have the same plethora of nutrients on the labeling on his alcohol.
The TTB has heeded the various calls for change, but its plan of action has been torpid, to say the least. As late as July 31st, 2007, the TTB sent notice of legislation to the Federal Registry regarding the “Labeling and Advertising of Wines, Distilled Spirits, and Malt Beverages.”  Check out the CSPI for an excellent summary of the proposed laws.
The Proposed Alcohol Label
With the new legislation, the TTB was heading in the right direction.  But a few short months later (November 20, 2007), they posted an article requesting changes to the original rules in order to permit “grandfather” protection for certain brand names. Apparently, putting nutrition labels on alcohol could have an “adverse impact” on established brands.  It is not surprising that an industry whose products have little to no nutritional value does not want labels nagging their consumers every time they reach for a cold one.  The flip side of the argument is that the alcohol industry is right now depending on consumer ignorance for sales volume.  That is not fair to the consumer.
“These labels should benefit consumers, not industry,” said CSPI alcohol policies director George A. Hacker. “Consumers need information about calories, to help watch their weight; alcohol content, to help measure their drinking; and ingredients, to help comparison shop on the basis of quality and allergens.”
Center for Science in the Public Interest
December 1, 2008
Tags: alcohol, food, nutrition, policy Posted in: Politics
4 Responses
What bs arguments. As far as I know it’s common knowledge that alcoholic drinks are packed with calories. I for one would love it if alcoholic beverages were labeled , as it would take a lot of the guess work out. In fact, I’m willing to bet most people overestimate the caloric intake, so who knows, maybe by providing real caloric value of a drink, people might buy more…
We can at least say that there is observed market power out there for beers that DO label themselves voluntarily. Look at the recent ad campaigns for MGD 64. They are capitalizing on the fact that no one else is labeling theirs.
I really have mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it seems absurd to put nutrional information on a product that has absolutely no redeeming nutritional value. On the other hand, as a consumer, I am aware that there is no beneficial nutrional value & should be able to evaluate my favorite adult beverages based on calorie & carbohydrate count in addition to taste.
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[...] right to product information and we continue to win. Even the alcohol industry is succumbing to public pressure and is putting through regulations to make nutrition labeling mandatory. For sure, in the near [...]
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