Statement of CSPI President Michael F. Jacobson

Alcohol can be a major source of calories for many Americans, and the absence of calorie labeling on cans and bottles has helped obscure that.  It’s good news for consumers that the biggest brewers will begin disclosing calories and some other nutrition information on new labels.  All wine and liquor producers should do something similar.

However, consumers have as much right to know what’s in their beer as in their root beer.  Brewers are allowed to artificially color, flavor, sweeten, and preserve their products, as well as use foam enhancers.  If the industry takes pride in its ingredients it should list them on labels and not simply on the Web.