Big U.S. Breweries to Add Nutritional Labels by 2020
Mmm, beer. If there’s one thing we wish could be more easily weaved into a (relatively) healthy diet, it’s this popular alcoholic beverage.
And we may be able to. Thanks to The Beer Institute – no, this isn’t a higher place of inebriated education – America’s four big breweries will start including nutritional information on their beer labels. These breweries represent eight of the top-10 beers sold in the States, so expect to see them everywhere unless you’re a dedicated crafts(beer)man.
The decision was a response to the Institute’s encouragement for its member companies to start labeling their products. Beer is easily the most popular alcoholic beverage among Americans, and 72% of those people feel its important to know nutrition facts when it comes to opting for hops. General ingredients, calories, protein, fat, and alcohol volume are all relevant figures consumers are keen to know. After all, that could be the only explanation for Bud Light and Coors Light being the most popular brands in the country – it certainly can’t be their taste.
Nutritional information will be available on labels by 2020, according to the Beer Institute, who represents bigwigs like Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and HeinekenUSA.
Beer’s never been under scrutiny for not disclosing contents; the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), rather than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has authority over beer. That means beer doesn’t fall under the same jurisdictions as similar products overseen by the FDA. Beers without hops or beers served in restaurants, for example, are under the FDA and do require calorie counts.
This soon-to-be readily-available information will both foster a transparent, honest relationship between beer brewers and beer drinkers, which benefits both parties. Breweries can hopefully increase business with the honest approach, while drinkers can be more mindful when choosing their drink for the night.
Some companies have already started, like Guinness. Did you know Guinness only has 15 more calories than the mysteriously popular Bud Light? Educate yourselves, people!
Photo Credit: tab62/Shutterstock