Availability of alcohol content, calorie, nutrition and ingredient information on labels of alcoholic beverages sold in the USA in 2021.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence and formatting of voluntary alcohol, nutrition and ingredient information on the labels of alcoholic beverages sold in the USA in 2021.

Design: We assessed labels from the top 150 beer, spirits and wine brands from 2021. Primary outcomes were presence of: (1) Statement of Average Analysis (SAA; includes calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein); (2) Serving Facts (SAA plus serving size, servings per container and alcohol content); and (3) ingredients lists. We also assessed the prevalence of nutrition- and ingredient-related claims. Attributes were considered present for a brand if they appeared on the label of at least one product from that brand. We used Fisher's exact tests to assess associations between primary outcomes and beverage characteristics.

Setting: Labels were from a government-run label approval database.

Participants: Unit of analysis was brands.

Results: The analysis included 925 labels from 65 beer, 93 spirits and 101 wine brands. Forty-one beer brands (63 %), twenty-four spirits brands (26 %) and two wine brands (2 %) had SAA. Eighteen beer brands (28 %), eleven spirits brands (12 %) and no wine brands had Serving Facts statements. Eleven beer brands (17 %), but no spirits or wine brands, had ingredients lists. The presence of SAA was positively associated with having calorie or carbohydrate claims (beer and spirits), larger market share (beer only) and being a member of the beer industry's Brewers' Voluntary Disclosure Initiative (beer only) (p < 0·05).

Conclusion: Low uptake of voluntary nutrition and ingredient information by top beer, spirits and wine brands suggests the need for mandatory standardised labels.