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Current labeling regulations are complex. Wine, beer and liquor producers are not required to list actual ingredients on the label, but must list items like sulfites or FD&C Yellow No. 5 for consumers who are sensitive. Whether or not nutritional information like calories, carbohydrates and serving size should be added to labels is up for discussion, but Tom Hogue, spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) told USA Today that it's unclear when federal officials might make a decision.
"I hear echos of the topic, but I don't think it will become a government mandate," says Rob Cooper, president and founder of St-Germain/Cooper Spirits Company. "There are already a lot of regulations surrounding alcohol. You have to go through the TTB formal approval process to ensure consumers are getting a safe product. It's not the Wild West. You can't just do what you want. They're strict about the ingredients."
And besides, adds Cooper, "Alcohol is not a critical component of ones sustenance. It's for recreational use. Who cares if it's good for you?"
He's got a point.
Beer and wine groups have their own issues with future labeling requirements. The beer industry has said it would back the listing of calories, protein, fat content and alcohol by volume, but it won't support listing out serving size by fluid ounces of pure alcohol. The wine crowd wants to keep labeling requirements voluntary. When you get into ingredients like bitters, the topic gets even more complicated.
"With bitters, there are two options in the U.S.," says Stephan Berg of The Bitter Truth. "The general practice, for companies like Peychaud's, is to apply for non-potable status, which categorizes it as a food item."
The other is to be listed as a spirit, the route Berg chose for his product line.
"Angostura Bitters show the nutritional facts on the label, but look at Fee Brothers or Peychaud's, and there are no nutritional facts on them, even though they're listed as a food item," he says.
Okay, at this point, we feel tipsy, and we're pretty sure we wouldn't be able to read all the tiny fine print future labels might require. But should those requirements come to fruition, Cooper says there could be a cool silver lining to it all.
"One thing it could do is incentivize the larger producers to be more diligent about what they put in their product. If they had to call it out on the label, products like St-Germain, with ingredients like fresh flowers and sugar, would look overwhelmingly better."
- Read about big changes coming to nutrition labels at AOL Health.
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3-08-2011 @8:57PM debra said... For many of us knowing various nutritional data are essential to health. Like, for a diabetic to know the carbohydrate content is vital to maintaining blood sugar control. Does a flavored vodka have sugar in it or not?
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3-08-2011 @3:19PM David S. said... Beer already has calorie content on it. Won't stop me from drinking it if I feel like it. Folks who consume alcohol could care less about any or no nutritional value -- they already know it. It's not rocket science. This is a non-story.
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3-08-2011 @3:28PM Frank Hogue said... Who really cares about the labeling. All i want to know is what I'm drinking, the proof and do I need a mixer.
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3-08-2011 @3:28PM LST said... I can see it now, drunks reading the labels to see which booze is "healthier" than the next one, right! Which one will ruin my liver the least!
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3-08-2011 @3:52PM cathy said... I can't see any good reason not to label alcohol. True, nobody drinks beer because it's good for them, but a lot of people -- even beer drinkers -- keep track of their overall count of calories, carbs, and such over the course of a day. Labeling alcohol bottles would help them keep track. More information about what you're putting into your body is a good thing. You can still choose what to drink and how much, but people who want those choices to be informed choices should have easy access to that information. Those who don't care are free to ignore the labels.
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3-08-2011 @5:12PM Monica said... Just another reason to jack up prices.
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3-08-2011 @7:10PM henry sena said... when i by liquor i don't need a label. what i buy i am going to keep buying no matter what the label says
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3-08-2011 @5:53PM jpdubb said... All alcohol products should have info labels. Information on how much alcohol can ruin your life and cost you a fortune if too much is consumed. A college student might learn something from a label if they read that a person who weighs 150 pounds will get a DUI if they drink 3 beers in an hour and then drive.
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3-08-2011 @6:29PM jane said... For someone with diabetes, it would be interesting to know the sugar content - this seems important to me because everything else I eat or drink tells this on t he label. I am sure I am not alone in hoping to get this info.
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3-08-2011 @7:23PM Carol Potter said... I can't believe the Founding Fathers had intentions of having the government involved in such things as this. It's ludicrous---costly, unnecessary, intrusive. When will this nonsense stop?
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3-10-2011 @5:01PM Debra Eisert said... Just for the record.... A 12 ounce beer's carbohydrate level can vary from around 5 gms to over 35. If that means nothing to you, congratulations. You are not a diabetic. For many Americans, knowing that is important. To keep my kidneys, eyesight, and toes, my total carbs per day need to be kept at less than 110 gms. Yes, I see this as an important issue.
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