Europe wants calorie label on wine and beer

Europeans are largest alcohol consumers

A majority in the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution which stipulates that the number of calories has to be mentioned on the packaging of alcoholic beverages, and has now requested the European Commission to formulate a proposal to put the resolution into practice.

“Europeans are the largest alcohol consumers in the world, but no one knows the exact number of calories, its composition or the energy value of the drinks we consume”, Marc Tarabella (MEP for the PS) said. That is why he wants wine and other alcoholic beverages to conform to the European labeling regulations, because at this point in time these manufacturers do not have to place as much information on their labels.

Wine growers are opposed

Europe’s largest breweries and companies like Smirnoff and Johnny Walker had already planned to add nutritional information on their labels to counter the idea that their beverages contain more calories than wine for example. Wine growers on the other hands are not in favour of the new resolution: “First it was information about allergens and now this. What is next?” Dirk Beker of the Dutch association for wine growers said.

It is highly unlikely Europe will be impressed by the wine growers’ protests: a British study has shown that the alcohol consumption lowers drastically once the number of calories is mentioned on the label or the menu.