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Australia considers new alcohol labelling standards
Health conscious consumers are helping to drive industry support for new alcohol labelling rules in Australia and New Zealand.
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) says it is making progress towards introducing new labelling standards for alcoholic beverages in both countries by gaining industry support for the proposals.
The proposed labelling requirements will aim to provide consumers with more transparent and useful information about the content of alcoholic beverages, including carbohydrate, sugar and energy values.
The requirements are a part of a wider initiative to enhance food and beverage transparency, in response to growing concerns about public health and the need for clearer information on product ingredients.
According to data analytics company GlobalData, 71% of consumers in Australia say that calorie and cholesterol values are an essential or nice piece of information to have when deciding which food and drink products to purchase.
Kakarlapudi Karthik Varma, consumer analyst at GlobalData, said: “Consumers’ preference for low-calorie alcoholic beverages is rising due to the growing health concerns.
“FSANZ’s proposals reflect a growing trend towards health-conscious consumerism, and the organisation is confident that these changes will not only benefit consumers but also strengthen the relationship between manufacturers and their customers through improved transparency and trust.”
Beverage company Asahi has said that consumers desire the option of no- or low-sugar and carbohydrate products, and they want this information clearly displayed on the label.
The New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (NZFGC) is in favour of including content for alcoholic beverages with more than 1.15% ABV.
This will enable producers to provide accurate information about the level of sugar and carbohydrates in their products, offering transparency to consumers.
The NZFGC and The George Institute Australia also support the use of an ‘energy information panel’ instead of ‘nutrition information’ for the declaration of energy content. They recommend presenting energy content per 100ml.
They also note that the terms ‘serve’ and ‘serving’ should not be used on alcohol packages to avoid generating a ‘health halo’ for alcoholic products.
However, the NZFGC suggests considering an option that allows flexibility in presenting energy content information, accommodating imported products with slightly different formats to comply with mandatory labelling requirements.
Varma added: “For consumers, this change signifies a critical step forward in terms of health awareness. Alcoholic beverages contribute significantly to the daily energy intake of many individuals, and clearer labelling is expected to provide a better understanding of how alcohol fits into their overall diet.
“These labels would allow consumers to compare the energy content of different products and make choices that align with their health goals, whether related to weight management or overall wellbeing.”
Ireland has also proposed introducing additional labelling information for alcoholic beverages, such as grams of alcohol and the number of calories in each serving, however it has received backlash from the trade.
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