Nutritional information, serving sizes and ingredients lists are required on most packaged foods, but this excludes most alcoholic beverages. It is rare to see the calorie or fat content on a beer label, and Bud Light says it will be 'the first US beer to include comprehensive details for ingredients and serving facts' directly on the packaging.
The new case packaging will begin to roll out nationwide in February. The ingredients listed are water, barley, rice and hops, and the packaging will also include: serving size, calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and protein.
Bud Light cited today’s consumers and their increasing desire for transparency in all products. Development, ingredients and supply chain are hot topics of debate and play a significant role in purchasing behavior.
“In every aspect of their lives, people are demanding more and more transparency, and Bud Light wants beer drinkers to have more information when it comes to choosing their brew, right at their fingertips on the packaging,” says the brand.
Transparency
Momentum is growing for beer brands to include more information about their products - such as nutrition, ingredients and calorie counts - both in Europe and the US.
In 2015, several major brewers along with the Brewers of Europe agreed to disclose nutrition facts for their brands. In 2017 the European Commission challenged the industry to come up with a self-regulatory proposal for nutrition and ingredients labelling. Meanwhile, Bud Light will become the first brand in the US to put such information on pack.
Andy Goeler, VP of marketing at Bud Light, said "While ingredient labels are not required, consumers deserve to know more about their beer. We brew Bud Light with the finest ingredients and we're happy to proudly display them on our packaging.
"When people walk through a store, they are used to seeing ingredient labels on products in every aisle - except for the beer, wine and spirits aisles.
"As the lead brand in the category, we believe increasing on-pack transparency will benefit the entire beer category and provide our consumers with the information they expect to see."
Other countries have different laws when it comes to on-pack nutrition labels, though many are calling for more regulation. Germany requires ingredients to be labeled on-pack and nutrition information is common on beer packaging in Spain even without federal guidance, paving the way for more widespread labeling laws in the future.
