New ingredient lists on beer, cider and long drink labels in 2005
Press release 22 March 2005
More accurate information for consumers:
New ingredient lists on beer, cider and long drink labels in 2005
Hartwall, Olvi, Nokian Panimo and Sinebrychoff will introduce ingredient lists on the labels of their products. The labels of beers, ciders and long drinks will soon inform consumers about not only the alcohol content of the beverage, but also all the product ingredients and additives in both Finnish and Swedish. Brewery beverages are not required to be labelled with a complete ingredient list, but the brewing industry considers such lists a service to consumers. The ingredient lists will be gradually added to labels in 2005. On soft drinks, they are already a familiar sight.
The new decree on the labelling of foodstuffs, drafted in accordance with EU directives, will come into force in November this year. According to the decree, beverages containing over 1.2 per cent alcohol must at the very least indicate ingredients causing allergies or hypersensitivity. The ingredients that must be listed on brewery beverages are wheat and other cereals containing gluten as well as sulphur dioxide and sulphites used as preservatives at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 ml/litre.
Brewery beverages are not required to be labelled with a complete ingredient list, but the brewing industry considers such lists a service to consumers. Consumers are familiar with ingredient lists from other foodstuffs. For example, soft drink labels have featured ingredient lists for a long time. The ingredient lists on beers, ciders and long drinks also include the required information about allergens – and as such comply with the new food decree.
“The introduction of complete ingredient lists meets consumers’ growing interest in nutrients,” says Jorma Rasi, Hartwall’s R&D Manager. “Consumers are increasingly informed and are taking a greater interest in what they eat and drink.”
The labels of low-calorie “light” beverages also indicate their nutritional values. In addition, their labels indicate whether the beverage has been sweetened with something other than sugar. The description “Sisältää fenyylialaniinin lähteen” (“Contains a source of phenyl alanine”) refers to the sweetener aspartame. In addition, long drink labels indicate whether the beverage has been partially or fully made by fermentation. The long drinks that are sold in daily consumer goods stores contain less than 4.7 per cent alcohol and are made entirely by fermentation; long drinks with added alcohol are sold at Alko stores.
You will soon find the new labels on beverage packaging. In practice, the ingredient lists will be gradually added to beverage packaging in the summer and autumn. “Even though they feature new ingredient lists, the beverages are still the same. They have not been changed,” says Esko Pajunen, Sinebrychoff’s Development Director.
Additional information:
Development Director Esko Pajunen, Oy Sinebrychoff Ab, tel. +358 9 294 991
R&D Manager Jorma Rasi, Oy Hartwall Ab, tel. +358 20 717 111
Communications Manager Katri Tuulensuu, Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry, tel. +358 (0)9 1488 7601, GSM +358 (0)40 777 1938
The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry promotes the interests of producers of beer, cider, long drinks, soft drinks and mineral waters in Finland. Its members are Oy Hartwall Ab, Nokian Panimo Oy, Olvi Oyj and Oy Sinebrychoff Ab. The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry operates in connection with the Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation and is among the four largest industries in the food and drink branch in terms of the value of production.
