World's Biggest Booze Maker Adds Nutrition Labels

Smirnoff, Guinness to come with calorie counts
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 20, 2015 2:41 AM CDT
World's Biggest Booze Maker Adds Nutrition Labels
A Diageo employee walks by barrels of whiskey stored in a new warehouse at the George Dickel distillery near Tullahoma, Tenn.   (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

There aren't many vitamins in vodka, but Smirnoff maker Diageo plans to add nutrition and calorie-count labels like those found on food to its drinks anyway, in what it says is a first in the industry. The company—the world's biggest spirits maker—says it plans to work with regulators worldwide to add the labels, and they'll probably arrive first in the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. The company's many brands include Johnnie Walker whisky, Captain Morgan rum, and the purportedly "good for you" Guinness beer, which has fewer calories than Budweiser or Heineken, according to the company's website.

A Diageo spokeswoman tells CNN that the company wasn't previously allowed to put information on things like carbohydrates, calories, fat, and protein content on its labels, and the "serving facts" information will be provided based on serving size. "Currently, there is no obligation to provide such information in markets worldwide, but we know that consumers are increasingly discerning about what's in their glass," the company's chief executive said in a statement. (Some alcoholic beverages are included in the FDA's wide-ranging new calorie-count rules.)

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