alcohol beverages generally

It is likely that all beer, wine and spirits labels will change dramatically in the near future. TTB has been working on new rules since CSPI and other groups submitted a petition in 2003. The new rules would require a “Serving Facts” panel on every container. This panel would include a lot more information, such as the typical serving size, number of servings per container, calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Because this is a big, controversial change, TTB has received more than 18,000 public comments during the past few years. There are far too many comments for most people to review, and so we will highlight and summarize the most noteworthy comments here. The most recent proposal and comments are here. This is comment 2 in a series; to see others, click on the “serving facts” tag below.

1. Miller supports the initiative as “appropriate and timely.” This is a not-so-common instance where the big alcohol beverage companies, the anti-alcohol groups, and the government are on the same side.
2. TTB should allow the information to be shown in a smaller, linear format, rather than the larger, panel format. It will cost Miller about 14 times more (as much as $39 million) to show the information in the panel format. “The dramatically higher … deployment costs for the panel...

On December 11th, several consumer groups submitted a letter to Treasury Secretary-Designate Geithner, urging fast action to require a great deal more information on beer, wine and spirits labels. The letter urges TTB and the Obama Administration to:

act now to issue a final regulation to require the following information on all beer, wine, and spirits labels:  serving size, calories per serving, alcohol per serving, percent alcohol by volume, the definition of a “standard drink,” number of drinks per container, and the Dietary Guidelines recommendation on moderate drinking. TTB also should consult with FDA as to the most effective format and graphic design for the “Alcohol Facts” label.

The four consumer groups are the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Consumer Federation of America, Shape Up America!, and the National Consumers League. They say they have been waiting more than five years since submitting their petition to change these rules. TTB’s 2007 proposed rule, and thousands of comments, are here.