General Question

Anaphase's avatar

Why do alcoholic beverages not have nutritional information or ingredients lists printed on them?

Asked by Anaphase (773points) March 21st, 2010

Other beverages are required by law to have nutritional information and ingredients lists, but not alcohol. Why?

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10 Answers

dpworkin's avatar

They aren’t regulated by the same agency.

Anaphase's avatar

The FDA doesn’t regulate alcohol?

dpworkin's avatar

No, the ATF does.

Anaphase's avatar

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. I wonder why the ATF doesn’t feel like that kind of information is important to consumers… Maybe they figure anyone who’s drinking probably doesn’t care all that much about their health!

Mamradpivo's avatar

Alcohol producers are very powerful in certain regions of the country, just like tobacco producers. So there’s little political will to force alcohol or tobacco producers to publish the information.

They’re somehow able to get away with the argument that they shouldn’t be made to divulge trade secrets.

jaytkay's avatar

Great question, the answers are interesting.

La_chica_gomela's avatar

All I know is they SHOULD! It’s ridiculous!

davidbetterman's avatar

The portions are secret.

jerv's avatar

I’ve sen ingredient lists on some beers, though not many. As for nutritional information, the only ones I know that do that are “boutique” beers that are bragging about being low-carb.

Then again, how many people drink beer and expect it to really have any nutritional value? I know that I drink other things for things like Vitamin C.

ItsAHabit's avatar

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), formerly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), specifically prohibits alcohol producers from placing nutritional information on beverage containers or advertising. This is a result of temperance-oriented laws and policies established upon the repeal of National Prohibition in 1933.

For more information, se “Why Don’t Alcoholic Beverage Containers have Nutritional Labels like other Food and Beverage Containers?: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/20090924101217.html

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