Industry group pushes for more stats about suds
WASHINGTON – The group that represents major brewers is pushing for more information on labels about what’s in your beer.
The Beer Institute said Tuesday it’s pushing members to reveal more details on labels, packaging and websites about ingredients, calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat and alcohol by volume.
It is seeking compliance for voluntary disclosure by the end of 2020.
The group also is encouraging brewers to show when a beer was brewed, to list ingredients, and also to point to a website or include a code that can be scanned with a smartphone for more information.
Members produce more than 80 percent of the volume of beer sold in the United States, the institute said, and added Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and HeinekenUSA have agreed to the new standards, which could prove difficult for smaller, independent brewers.
The more inclusive labels could prove more difficult for smaller brewers, however.
The Brewers Association, a trade association of craft brewers, said it supports transparency in labeling but believes compliance might be difficult for microbrewers who, in addition to having fewer resources, sell more small-scale seasonal products with varying ingredients.
That would mean more money for the greater variety of beers those brewers make, stretching thin already tight profit margins.
The group said it has been working separately with the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a plan to be included in the USDA nutrient database by beer style rather than individual brands.