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Proposed rules would require nutrition facts and allergen information
Today, the Center for Science in the Public Interest submitted comments on two proposed rules on alcohol issued by the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): one to require “Alcohol Facts” nutrition labels and one to require allergen disclosures.
The proposals, if finalized, would be a crucial step toward ensuring consumers have access to the information they need to make informed choices, follow health guidelines, and avoid allergic reactions. They were published in January after CSPI, Consumer Federation of America, and National Consumers League sued the Treasury Department in 2022 for failing to act on a 2003 citizens petition seeking mandatory, comprehensive, uniform labeling of alcoholic beverages.
TTB’s proposed Alcohol Facts label and allergen disclosures would be similar to the Nutrition Facts label and allergen disclosures already required on FDA-regulated foods and beverages.
CSPI’s comment on the Alcohol Facts proposal expresses agreement with TTB’s proposed approach of requiring on-package Alcohol Facts labels that include serving size, number of servings per container, percent alcohol by volume, and amounts of calories, carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
CSPI also calls on TTB to require additional information as part of the label, including amounts of total sugars, added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, percent Daily Value for each nutrient based on a 2,000-calorie diet, number of standard drinks per container and the definition of a standard drink, and specific, actionable moderate drinking advice such as that offered in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
CSPI’s comment on the allergen disclosure proposal commends TTB on issuing a rule to protect the 11% of U.S. adults with food allergies.
CSPI also urges TTB to follow up on the two proposed rules with a third rule mandating full ingredients labeling for alcoholic beverages. Full ingredient labeling would reveal all of the additives and other ingredients used in alcohol, and was part of the original CSPI petition request and ensuing lawsuit. In settling that case, TTB agreed to issue a proposed rule on ingredient labeling in addition to nutrition and allergen labeling rules, and had submitted an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to the White House for review in May 2023. However, that proposal, which would have provided enhanced ingredient transparency for alcohol, was withdrawn by the Trump administration, leaving only the proposed rules on nutrition and allergens under consideration.
Both comments highlight broad public support for alcohol content, ingredient, allergen, calorie, and nutrition information on alcohol labels.
Earlier this summer, CSPI was among two dozen consumer, public health, and food allergy groups to call on the Trump administration to include alcohol in its efforts to reduce chronic disease. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is chair of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission and has expressed his commitment to “radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating.” However, there was no substantive mention of alcohol in either the initial MAHA Commission report or the Executive Order that created the Commission. The groups called on Kennedy to partner with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on advancing health and transparency initiatives to address the health harms of alcohol consumption, including by moving forward with mandatory labeling of nutrition, food allergens, and ingredients on alcoholic beverages.
CSPI additionally submitted comments today on the Alcohol Facts label and allergen disclosure proposals on behalf of coalitions urging the TTB to promptly finalize the proposals. Signatories include the Alcohol Justice, American Society for Nutrition, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, National Consumers League, U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, and more.
“Alcohol is a leading cause of preventable chronic disease, but has been entirely missing from the conversation around ‘Making America Healthy Again,’” said CSPI senior policy scientist Eva Greenthal. “In addition to the harms of alcohol itself, many alcoholic beverages contain the same added sugars and harmful additives that RFK Jr. has characterized as poison. To make good on its promise of radical transparency in the interest of health, the administration should finalize the proposals to require nutrition and allergen disclosures for alcoholic beverages and revive the proposal for ingredient labeling.”
CSPI’s Proposed Alcohol Serving Facts Label (using nutrition information from an Angry Orchard Hard Cider)
TTB’s Proposed Alcohol Serving Facts Label
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Contact Info: Lisa Flores, 202-777-8368 or Jeff Cronin, 202-777-8370