# Nutritional information missing from alcoholic drinks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 22, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081 "2000-09-22T00:48:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081/1 "2000-09-22T00:48:39Z")

</div>

Why is it that alcoholic drinks are exempted from the information required of normal food?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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 22, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081/2 "2000-09-22T02:55:08Z")

</div>

In some cases, they may be **prohibited** from putting nutrition information on their labels. Beer is a pretty good source of the B vitamins, but the ATF prohibits the beer companies from telling you so, fearing that it will encourage people to drink more. The rules may have changed since I read this in the Wall Street Journal about five years ago.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081/3 "2000-09-22T13:06:15Z")

</div>

Even according to bibliophage’s logic, that would only apply to the nutrition info. Why can’t they at least list the **ingredients**?

Obvious answer: Powerful lobbyists.

But I must admit, I have seen many wine bottles warning that they contain sulfites. It’s a start, but we have a long way to go.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081/4 "2000-09-22T13:40:33Z")

</div>

I don’t think I’ve ever drank a beer that didn’t list the ingredients (usually water, malted barley, and hops, obviously). Some even list the particular varieties of hops that they use.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutritional-information-missing-from-alcoholic-drinks/34081/5 "2000-09-22T13:43:46Z")

</div>

**Cecil Adams** on [Does Budweiser beer contain … chicken hearts?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_356b.html)