Written question asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Monday, 28 November 2011.

Food and Drink: Labelling

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why alcoholic beverages will be exempted from obligations to declare nutritional information on product labels as part of the food information regulation.

Answer: There was no consensus among member states for the introduction of mandatory nutrition and ingredients labelling for alcoholic drinks. The compromise reached, based on a European Parliament proposal, gave a temporary exemption for alcoholic drinks pending a Commission report within three years. The United Kingdom also secured its objective of ensuring that the regulation allows voluntary energy labelling for alcoholic drinks pending the Commission report, and we will be encouraging companies to consider this option. The Government support energy labelling for alcoholic drinks, and we will continue to press for this to be included in any new legislative proposals.

Secondary information