The TTB has published two new guidance documents that expand the tolerances for voluntary calorie statements in the labeling and advertising of alcohol beverages. This new guidance makes calorie tolerances more consistent with the food labeling regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the hope that it may facilitate the broader use of voluntary nutrient content statements in alcohol beverage labeling and advertising. The ruling does not require any changes to approved labels, but instead allows greater flexibility for industry members who choose to use voluntary nutrient content statements on labels or in advertisements.
The ruling also clarifies that industry members are not required to obtain laboratory analyses of each batch to substantiate voluntary nutrient content statements. To the extent that industry members choose to rely on databases or “typical value” charts to determine nutrient content values, it is their responsibility to ensure that the labeling and advertisement statements will be reliable and accurate, within the tolerances contained in TTB guidance documents.
For more details, view TTB Ruling 2020-1 and TTB Procedure 2020-1