Distilled Spirits Council Statement on TTB “Serving Facts” Ruling
Washington, DC — Permitting alcohol companies to voluntarily put “Serving Facts” information on labels is clearly a step forward in providing more nutrition information to consumers, and has long been supported by the distilled spirits industry.
This type of nutrition information, which is widely available on other food and drink products, will help consumers make informed decisions about the products they choose to drink.
Background:
The Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau ruling allows voluntary “Serving Facts” statements to provide consumers nutritional information about their products. This is one of the most significant TTB labeling initiatives for distilled spirits, beer and wine in decades.
Importantly, under TTB’s “Serving Facts” ruling, the serving sizes for distilled spirits, wine or beer are the same based on the amount of alcohol in that serving. The permitted “Serving Facts” statement includes the serving size; the number of servings per container; the number of calories; and the grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat per serving. The “Serving Facts” statement also may include the alcohol content per serving.
We applaud the TTB for this guidance about the voluntary use of “Serving Facts” statements while it is completing the rulemaking on this topic. Prior to this action, TTB would not allow “Serving Facts” statements on alcohol products.