We like having nutrition labels on foods, but we’ve never really considered the fact that wine, beer and spirit manufacturers aren’t required to put labels on their beverages. That, however, may change soon if the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau gets its way. They proposed a labeling rule back in 2007, but there hasn’t been any kind of action taken until now. Guidelines have been released for how wine, beer and liquor companies can tell consumers about the calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats inside a bottle. Right now all of this is completely voluntary, but it seems like it could be a first step in creating an actual requirement.
On the plus side, people deserve to know what they’re putting in their bodies. Some manufacturers are actually kind of excited about this because they know consumers are progressively seeking more detailed information about nutrition, so this is their chance to grab the health conscious people if their drink has lower calories or carbs. Consumers want to make educated choices, and adding labels to alcohol bottles gives them that option.
On the other hand, some people just don’t really care. For many people, knowing the nutrition facts behind their favorite whiskey isn’t really going to make a big difference in their drinking habits. Lots of drinkers have their favorites and the calorie count isn’t going to change that for them. Most people know that alcohol isn’t a health food, so why are they going to care? It’s like when we eat an entire family size bag of chips for dinner – we know it’s not healthy, but we’re not checking the nutrition label to mull over the serving size and contemplate how much sodium we’re ingesting. When it’s time to eat chips, it’s time to eat chips. And when it’s time to drink, it’s time to drink.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the long run. We want to see who voluntarily adds the nutrition labels to their product and how the public responds. Do you want nutrition labels?