Compliance with voluntary nutritional labelling on alcoholic beverages in Spain

Access to nutritional information is a fundamental consumer´s right, as it facilitates informed decision-making regarding dietary choices. However, excluding a recent directive concerning wine products, European Union regulations grant exemption to beverages with an alcohol content exceeding 1.2 % from the requirement of disclosing nutritional values. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the industry´s compliance with voluntary commitments for nutritional labelling of alcoholic beverages in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the municipality of Madrid (Spain) during March and April 2023. Data on 627 alcoholic beverages were collected. We considered that a product label displayed complete nutritional data when it showed the energy value per 100 mL as well as the corresponding macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins). Only 22.2 % of these products provided any nutritional information, with beers leading at 56.5 %, followed by spirits (26.5 %), vermouths and aperitifs (16.7 %), and wines and sparkling wines significantly fewer at 2.9 %. Only 2.4 % of the sampled beverages provided comprehensive nutritional information including energy and macronutrients. These findings highlight a failure to meet voluntary labelling commitments in Spain, with significant variations observed across sectors. The government should ensure consumers´ access to readily available and accurate information regarding the nutritional composition of alcoholic beverages.

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health. Government Delegation for the National Drugs Plan (grant number 2022G013 ).

Peer reviewed