# How come bottled mixed alcoholic drinks don't have to list ingredients?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bottled-mixed-alcoholic-drinks-dont-have-to-list-ingredients/697643>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 6, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bottled-mixed-alcoholic-drinks-dont-have-to-list-ingredients/697643 "2014-09-06T07:05:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bottled-mixed-alcoholic-drinks-dont-have-to-list-ingredients/697643/1 "2014-09-06T07:05:39Z")

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Or nutrition info for that matter, stuff like Smirnoff Ice or wine coolers? Seems odd considering the soda or other sugary drinks do, but add a splash of liquor and nope.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bottled-mixed-alcoholic-drinks-dont-have-to-list-ingredients/697643/2 "2014-09-06T14:47:32Z")

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Most food and beverage labels are regulated by the FDA, which in many cases requires manufacturers to list the ingredients and nutrition facts. Most alcoholic beverage labels are regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which is part of the Treasury Department. They don’t require manufacturers to list ingredients and nutrition facts except alcohol content. I seem to recall reading that they actively forbid listing vitamin content out of fear that people will start drinking for the (questionable) health benefits. Beer is actually a pretty decent source of some B-complex vitamins but you wouldn’t know it from reading the labels.

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-bottled-mixed-alcoholic-drinks-dont-have-to-list-ingredients/697643/3 "2014-09-08T03:10:38Z")

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Honey and some other raw food stuffs don’t have to list them, either. I think the idea is that they are 100% whatever, so you don’t have to. But I know at least honey is sometimes adulterated with corn syrup or similar.