Brewing giant AB InBev to add calorie labels to its beers

The information will be displayed per 100ml as well as per portion size and will cover energy values, fat, saturated fats, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt.

Fewer than one in five people claimed to be aware of calorie levels in beer, according to a recent survey conducted by IPSOS Mori for AB InBev.

More information on beer​

The survey showed that providing more information on beer would be beneficial for consumers. More than a third (36%) said they paid close attention to their daily calorie intake, while 35% actively looked at the calorie information of their drinks.

Last year, the Royal Society for Public Health urged the European Commission to force alcoholic drink manufacturers to introduce calorie labelling on products a move echoed by the Local Government Association in January.

Normal food labelling​

Alcoholic drinks are currently exempt from normal food labelling under existing European legislation.

Drinks industry body the Portman Group has opposed calls for mandatory labelling, preferring a voluntary approach.

AB InBev plans to start making changes this year, and have calorie labelling on 80% of its European volumes by the end of 2017. The brewer’s full calorie information is available here​.