Nutritional information considered for US wine labels
January 31, 2008
By Howard G Goldberg in New York
American consumers want alcohol and nutritional content on wine labels, a recent survey has shown.
Shape Up America!, a group formed by former federal Surgeon General Dr C Everett Koop, conducted an online survey of 503 adults.
The survey found that consumers wanted full information, including percentage of alcohol by volume, serving size, quantity of alcohol per serving, a 'standard drink' definition and the number of such drinks in a bottle.
The organisation said 92% of survey respondents wanted the quantity of alcohol listed as their first priority, followed by calories (84%), carbohydrates (75%), fat (71%) and protein (66%).
Its findings were handed to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is considering nutritional labeling for alcoholic beverages.
'The TTB will have to determine the influence that such small sample online surveys should have in its final rule,' Wendell Lee, General Counsel of the California trade association the Wine Institute, told decanter.com.
He added that, 'the majority of comments in the public record do not support serving facts labeling for wine.'
Shape Up America! was created by Koop to to increase awareness of America's obesity problem.
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As an American living overseas, I find this article very embarrassing. What a bunch of hill-billy rednecks we look like. Personally I think America should worry more about labelling where their food comes from and taking care of the numerous recalls on food than worrying about ridiculous labelling on wine. Besides, a survey of only 503 adults that was put together by the former Surgeon General should be waving red flags everywhere! Will the TTB not realize that this "group" would tend to be a bit biased? Fat content information in wine? What a farce! The fattest nation on earth should learn from wine-drinking countries that have less of an obesity problem than worrying about the fat content in wine...
Michelle T, Australia
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