US Treasury proposes new alcohol labeling rules to boost transparency
USA – The US Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed new regulations requiring alcoholic beverage labels to disclose alcohol content and nutritional information.
The proposed “Alcohol Facts” label would mandate the inclusion of details such as alcohol by volume (ABV), alcohol content in fluid ounces, calories, carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
Additionally, the TTB has introduced a rule requiring the listing of major food allergens on labels for wines, distilled spirits, malt beverages, and beers.
These proposals aim to ensure that consumers have access to comprehensive information regarding the identity, quality, and alcohol content of beverages.
The new regulations follow recent public health warnings, including a US Surgeon General advisory highlighting the links between alcohol consumption and cancer risks.
A draft report by the Interagency Coordination Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) also pointed to risks associated with alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts.
These proposed rules align with a February 2022 Treasury Department report titled “Competition in the Markets for Beer, Wine, and Spirits,” which recommended revisiting labeling requirements to enhance transparency on alcohol content, nutritional data, and serving sizes.
The TTB has set a proposed compliance deadline of five years from the publication of the final rules in the Federal Register to minimize the financial and operational burdens on the industry.
Public and stakeholder comments on the proposals are invited until April 17, 2025, according to a Federal Register notice.
Advocacy groups have long championed mandatory labeling requirements.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) first petitioned for improved labeling in 2003 and sued the Treasury Department in 2022 for inaction.
CSPI’s 2021 study found that few alcohol brands had adopted voluntary labeling, underscoring the need for a mandatory policy.
While the new rules align alcoholic beverages with allergen labeling standards for other food and beverages, consumer organizations noted that the rules exclude ingredient labeling.
The Consumer Federation of America described this as a remaining gap in addressing “alcohol labeling exceptionalism.”
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