The Beer Institute has announced a new initiative to encourage its member companies to display specific consumer information on products, packaging or websites. The “Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative” is a voluntarily program in which BI members will include a serving facts statement on their products, as well as disclose ingredients on either the label or secondary packaging via a list of ingredients, a reference to a website with the information or through a QR code.
The BI press release states that “participating brewers and importers will voluntarily list calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat and alcohol by volume on their beer products by including a serving facts statement consistent with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau (TTB) ruling 2013-2. In addition, they will provide freshness dating, and disclose ingredients via a list, a reference to a website with the information, or a QR code on the label or secondary packaging.”
The Beer Institute primarily represents large global breweries such as Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, HeinekenUSA, Constellation Brands Beer Division and North American Breweries.
Participating brewers and importers have been encouraged by the BI to achieve compliance across their product lines by the end of 2020.
Statement issued by the Brewers Association: The Brewers Association supports transparency in labeling. Our members already invest substantial time in complying with extensive federal regulations so that consumers can make informed choices when purchasing beer. While we appreciate the Beer Institute’s efforts to support additional nutritional transparency, we recognize that the approach the large brewers have taken may not be feasible for smaller brewers, many of whom offer dozens of small scale, seasonal products every year. The Brewers Association has been working separately with the FDA and the USDA to develop a plan for beer styles (rather than specific individual brands) to be included in the USDA Nutrient Database, an effort to help our members prepare to comply with the FDA ruling regarding menu labeling. We will continue to work with our members to encourage voluntary compliance with all existing government mandates regarding labeling.