Why is there no nutritional info on beer??

Someone asked me this yesterday and I thought it was an interesting question.

Nearly everything you buy has nutritional info on the packaging. But not beer or other alcoholic drinks.

Anyone know why this is?

My guess was that beer and wine are biologically alive and constantly changing. But thats only a guess.

Don't take offense, but I've been dying to have a reason to try this out...


Let me google that for you

I never thought of it until you brought it up, but evidently there's a LOT of nutritional info on beer....

But oh yeah, before America, and our heavy meat laden diet came into prominence, beer was considered food....so there would be a lot of info on it...I mean even beersmith tells you the caloric content of your recipes...

My health concience doesn't wanna know...

Revvy said:

Don't take offense, but I've been dying to have a reason to try this out...


Let me google that for you

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You never cease to amaze me. You crack me up.

Revvy said:

Don't take offense, but I've been dying to have a reason to try this out...


Let me google that for you

Click to expand...

LOL thats a great site. But I actually did a google search and couldn't find an answer.

I know, I know. Some time back the government decided to make all food producers put nutritional info on their packaging. Alcohol was not contained in this directive because it was not considered food, for one, and for another not just anybody could go buy it. Some of the rationale was that people didn't care about the nutritional info of alcohol.

That's my memory, anyhow, per my dad. He worked for NECCO for 23 years (you know, NECCO wafers) and I remember him going nuts that they had to rework all his machinery so it could print nutritional info.

Sales would go down. I should say that sales of good beer would go down. I think sales of light beer would go up.

I don't think people have a clue what beer has in it. Being fairly new to homebrewing, I didn't know until recently. I figured calories were somewhere around 150, like a sugared up soda, but it is more like 200-250 for a 5-6.5 % beer. This is what I have found from playing with beersmith at any rate, but with that being said, I have heard that beersmith may not be so accurate on it's calorie calculation.

Why do you think only the light beers tell you the details such as carbs and calories.

Do you think someone roaming the beer fridge at a nice grocery store would buy a barleywine if they saw that it had 500 calories for every 12 oz.

Interesting reads.

Nutrition Labels for Beer « Beer Activist
Beer and liquor brawl over nutritional labels - Samuel Loewenberg - Politico.com

I misread your question...You mean On the label

The word "On" could be physically on the beer or On the subject of.
I thought you meant that you thought it wasn't studied....


Oh...sorry...It's going to have to do with FDA labeling requirements, I actually found the nutritional info of several commercial beers...but I'm sure the brewing industry has stymied any attempts to have it added to the label.

Blame the ATF for that (as you can for a lot of ills). They apparently don't want anyone to think that alcoholic beverages can (gasp!) be good for you. Nutritional info on beer labels is a no-no.

They've been trying....

I found these with google...

Beer and liquor brawl over nutritional labels - Samuel Loewenberg - Politico.com

Rule change could require companies to put alcohol content, nutrition facts on containers - International Herald Tribune

http://www.boozebasher.com/2008-03-...les-to-require-nutritional-information-label/

http://beeractivist.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/nutrition-labels-for-beer/

Beer is regualted by the ATF (Alchohol Tobacco and Firearms). Throw in gambling, and hookers and we have a party. Not the FDA (food and drug administration) So it is not food, at least according to the US Gov't.

In one way I wish the nutritional info was on the bottles but I guess ignorance is bliss... and has a lot more calories.

I always though it was the BMC lobbyists trying to hide the fact that they put more than just water, malt, hops, and yeast in their product. They would have to include all those scary additives as well.

Jester369 said:

I always though it was the BMC lobbyists trying to hide the fact that they put more than just water, malt, hops, and yeast in their product. They would have to include all those scary additives as well.

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come on, BMC doesn't use malt or hops! they use rice, yeast, and water!

Jester369 said:

I always though it was the BMC lobbyists trying to hide the fact that they put more than just water, malt, hops, and yeast in their product. They would have to include all those scary additives as well.

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I'm sure that's a big part of it....think of all the "purity" marketing the various ones use....it wouldn't be so pure if you found out they stabilize with sorbital or something.

I remember years ago it was the French who opposed labels on their wine bottles...beer companies got on that band wagon fast too.

Reportedly, the reason was is that they would have to list ingredients that they don't want you to know the contents.

It's not what they tell you that should scare you, but what they DON'T tell you that you should really know.

I ran accross these articles yesterday, how fitting:

Realbeer.com: Beer And Your Health

P.S. There are vitamins in there