Changes soon to be required for labels

industry — By DJ Spiess on July 7, 2007 at 5:18 pm

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The Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering a new rule that will require manufacturers to include alcoholic content, serving sizes, and nutritional information on the label.

The labels would also be required to include calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein information for the serving size.

Labels currently are only required to include the percentage of alcohol by volume. Some states require that this information be excluded from beer labels. “Lite” beers must show caloric content as well as percent of alcohol by volume.

The push for a more comprehensive label began in 2003 when the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the National Consumers League and more than 70 other groups and companies — including Diageo — petitioned the bureau to change the regulation. Diageo made a press release shortly later lauding the announcement.

The department states that the proposal will make the new labels mandatory within three years.

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