Health labels for alcohol?

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | February 26, 2004 | JULIE DAVIDOW

[sarcasm]

The label tells of lush vines sprouting from rich soil, grapes heated by the sun and cooled by evening mists. You are transported to the rolling hills of the Napa Valley, the romance of rural France, the greenery of the Willamette.

Then it hits you: a reality check. Split that bottle of wine, and you're looking at 245 calories each.

Right now, the wine drinker's fantasy is untouched by calorie counts. Alcohol, unlike soda, lemonade and other bottled drinks, does not have to include calorie, serving size and ingredient information.

But a proposal to add that information to wine, beer and liquor would force consumers to confront the amount of caloric padding alcohol adds to their diets.

And that's as it should be, said George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, one of two national consumer groups that petitioned the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau late last year to require more detailed alcohol labels.

"There's a lot of information about alcohol that consumers want to know and could benefit from," Hacker said. "It relates directly to our enormous public health concern about obesity and weight gain."

The proposed label includes alcohol content, calories, serving size, ingredients and dietary guidelines for healthy alcohol consumption. Proponents deliberately left off carbohydrates, vitamins and other information that might lead consumers to mistakenly equate alcohol with food.

"This is an alcohol facts label, not a nutrition facts label," Hacker said.

A final decision on the labeling proposal could take months, said Art Resnick, a spokesman for the alcohol and tobacco tax agency.

The alcohol industry has long been hip to weight-conscious drinkers looking for alternatives. Responding to the latest shift in dieting strategy, beer manufacturers have introduced low-carb beers. Alcoholic beverages that make health claims, such as low-carb and light beers, are required to print information backing it up on their labels, Resnick said.

Shae Richardson, a clerk at a state-run liquor store near the University of Washington, said otherwise weight-obsessed sorority girls prefer bottles of sugary, creamy drinks.

	See illustration showing sample calorie counts for some beverages.

Without a calorie label, there's no way to compare when shopping, said Richardson, 27, who makes a point of sticking with straight gin or vodka, which are relatively low in calories.

"I wonder if sales of some drinks would go way down" if calorie information were readily available, she said.

Michael Grover, 43, called the labeling proposal a bunch of hooey while surveying the beer aisle at a Queen Anne grocery store yesterday. Beer and wine are extras, treats like ice cream. Dieters shouldn't need labels to remind them of that, he said. "They should know better."

Affixing calorie labels to wine would spoil the experience for some wine drinkers and could diminish a bottle's appeal, said Stacie Jacob, spokeswoman for the Washington Wine Commission.

"The labeling, packaging and eye appeal of a bottle has a lot to do with sales," Jacob said. "Until consumers are demanding (calorie labels), I'm not sure it's necessary to go there."

In response to the proposal, some liquor companies are volunteering to add more detail to their product labels, if not supporting the idea of new government regulations.

"Theoretically, it could be good for us," said Paul Shipman, president of Red Hook Ale. There's a common misperception, he said, that microbrews are higher in calories than other beers.

Customers already can find calorie and other information about the beer by calling a telephone number printed on Red Hook bottles or visiting the company's Web site, Shipman said. "There's no attempt to keep this knowledge away from consumers."

[Texasforever]

Only one warning is needed...."After too much alcohol that person on the bar stool next to you will look a lot different in the morning".

[codyjacksmom]

They should also label them with warnings about how addictive alcohol is and that alcoholism is a PREVENTABLE disease if alcohol is not consumed.

[BigSkyFreeper]

HAH! You beat me to it.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Alcohol should be consumed in moderation. Many alcohol drinkers, once they start, the only time they stop is when they pass out.

[codyjacksmom]

There are way to many people that can't stop at moderation. Have you ever been to a detox/treatment center? Maybe that would give you a little more idea of what a crisis this actually is in America. The majority of all alcoholics already have the genetic makeup of addiction that was inherited from family. Most people that have that genetic problem don't know about it until it's to late.

[Texasforever]

My ex-wife drove me to drink. It was the only favor she ever did for me.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

The label tells of lush vines

Perhaps they should have found another adjective.

[BigSkyFreeper]

LOL!

And you thanked her from the bottom of your bottle. :)

[Jack of all Trades]

From the article, it doesn't seem like they're slanting the labels toward alcoholics. I don't think that's possible. If they were, they could add something like "Warning, if you are an alcoholic then you are allergic to alcohol - consumption of this product will cause you to break out in handcuffs". Cute, but unless one is in a position to understand that joke, it would have zero effect.

Here's a little tidbit from the article that caught my eye:

..Without a calorie label, there's no way to compare when shopping, said Richardson, 27, who makes a point of sticking with straight gin or vodka, which are relatively low in calories.

Now there's a method of adaptation that would be familiar to almost any alcoholic.

[dakine]

two words: personal responsibility...

If it wasn't Alcohol, the addictive personality would find something else...

[codyjacksmom]

Thanks for the laugh Jack. It is to bad that they don't slant the label toward alcoholics. Of course, that would probably put the liquor companies out of business(if the alcoholics weren't drinking.) I also can appreciate the comment about comparison shopping! It sounds way to familiar.

[codyjacksmom]

OK, 5 words; you don't have a clue.

Personal responsibility? Are you one of those people that tells an alcoholic, "oh you can quit if you want to. It just takes willpower." if you are one of those people then please update your research or someone could literally die from your suggestion. Just a little FYI, more people die from alcohol withdrawl than from ANY other drug withdrawl. It needs to be under constant supervision or someone could die from heart failure. This is fact, feel free to look it up or ask me of any questions you may have.

[codyjacksmom]

Sorry about the preaching. I forgot that this thread isn't about alcoholism. ;^)

[Gabz]

And that's as it should be, said George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, one of two national consumer groups that petitioned the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau late last year to require more detailed alcohol labels.

Wake up folks, CSPI is NOT a consumer group. It is a professional lobbying group out to destroy the hospitality industry. They are receiving funds from Robert Wood Johnson Fountation among others to do just that.

[FrankR]

"Health labels for alcohol?"

So now it begins....

This is how the current row about tobacco started...with "warning labels".

What comes next? Well, the lawsuits, no doubt. This entire nanny-state crap is a result of having wayyyyy toooo many lawyers in America. Starving lawyers can raise havoc with the judicial system, vying for every ligigated cent they can drain from America's corporations and individuals.

It's been said about those who were/are so intense about being anti-smoking, to "be careful about the banning of smoking...next time they may ban something you like...".

Personally, I'd like to see some of these elitist city, county, state and National "officials" have to give up their cocktails...especially Ted Kennedy.

What goes around, comes around.

Actually, it'll probably never happen with booze, as the lawyers like to imbibe a bit themselves. But, who knows...once the camel gets his nose in the tent...

[ahayes]

Save me, oh save me, Nanny State!

Now I will go sue McDonald's for not telling me eating three Big Macs a day is likely to make me fat.

[CSM]

"Alcohol should be consumed in moderation. Many alcohol drinkers, once they start, the only time they stop is when they pass out."

You got that right. I see a ton of people passed out in restaurants and bars in my area. It is a common site and needs to be addressed by the government.

[metesky]

It is to bad that they don't slant the label toward alcoholics.

What on earth makes you think an alcoholic would read a label for anything other than a good belly laugh?

[ScudEast]

Alcohol should be consumed in moderation.

Hehe, the Methodist father of a girl I used to see used to say "everything in moderation, including moderation". My grandmother used to say "A bit of what you fancy does you good". I use these two sayings to justify my wanton excess on Saturday night :D