Consumers have a right to know what’s in their foods and beverages. That’s why the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Nutrition Action’s publisher, has long fought for labels that tell the whole story.
You’ve gotta hand it to ad execs. They can turn a sugary snack into a source of “wholesome” energy or “real fruit.” Or reinvent processed meat as “healthy protein.” Or spin salt-laden refined grains as “real meals.” Here’s how not to fall for what they’re pushing.
A coalition of consumer groups today announced an important victory for the American public: the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has agreed to issue proposed rules requiring standardized alcohol content, calorie, and allergen labeling on all beer, wine and distilled spirts products.
The Treasury Department's Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) sent this response to CSPI, the Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumers League in response to the organizations' petition asking TTB to amend its regulations to require an “Alcohol Facts” panel on alcohol beverage labels, similar to the “Nutrition Facts” panel on labels of foods.
A typical 6 oz. glass of wine or 12 oz. beer has as many calories as a can of Coke (140). Some beers have twice that much.
But you’d never know the calories in alcoholic drinks from many of their labels and non-chain-restaurant menus. (Chain restaurants must disclose calories for drinks on their menus, and some beer brewers and other alcohol companies label calories voluntarily.)
How many calories are in that drink? Good question. Labels for most alcoholic beverages aren’t required to list calories...or even ingredients. So we compiled numbers from websites, companies, and some labels. Click here to download our chart, which points out why some drinks have more (or fewer) calories.
At the Center for Science in the Public Interest, we’re not only pushing for better food labels. For decades, we’ve also been fighting for labels that give consumers critical facts about alcohol.
The coalition, represented by the litigation department of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest on behalf of itself, the Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumers League, says the Treasury department has failed to act on a 19-year-old petition urging it to require alcohol labeling with the same basic transparency consumers expect in foods.
