Alcoholic Beverages May Get Nutrition Labels So You’ll Know How Many Calories You’re Guzzling

Ah, the sweet, sweet oblivion of not knowing how many calories you’re drinking in that beer because you’ve refrained from looking it up on the Internet! Hold onto that feeling for as long as you can, if you’re the type to stick your head in the sand when it comes to nutritional info. Those facts may soon be staring you down from a bottle of wine, beer or liquor, whether you want to know or not.

Some of us are quite content not knowing what we’re putting into our bodies, others feverishly look up that information elsewhere if it’s not posted on menus or product labels. Right now, it’s not too common for wine, beer, and spirits manufacturers to add such info, but it could become more commonplace soon.

ABC News notes that the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposed a labeling rule in 2007 that would make it a must for alcoholic beverages to include information like calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein content right there on the label. Thus far, it hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to implement that rule.

It recently announced that if manufacturers feel like it, they could go ahead and add that info. It’s totally optional — for now.

Some companies might welcome the labels, so they can show exactly how low in calories their drinks are and targe people trying to shed pounds. And some consumers are in favor of making informed decisions about what they’re drinking.

For others, it could be a bit of a shock to see exactly what they’re putting away on an average night out.

“I think more calories come from alcohol than people think,” one told ABC.

Wine, Beer and Spirits Could Get Nutrition Labels [ABC News]

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