Diageo Plans To Display Calorie Counts On Liquor Labels

(RTTNews) - In a first move for any alcohol company, British beverages giant Diageo Plc (DEO, DGE.L) plans to display calorie counts and other content information on many of its biggest-selling products, including Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Smirnoff vodka, Guinness, Tanqueray gin and the iconic Irish stout.

The world's biggest distiller said Thursday in an e-mailed statement that it will disclose alcoholic content and nutritional information per serving on its responsible drinking website or on product packaging as soon as possible.

Diageo, which operates in more than 180 countries, has already gained approval from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for a label on its products in the country. The company is also working with regulators globally.

At present, alcoholic drinks are exempt from regulations in the European Union to provide nutritional information on labels. Diageo said it is working to establish a standard alcohol unit across the 28 member states.

Meanwhile, the UK drinks industry, as part of the Responsibility Deal backed by the Government, has already labeled majority of products with key health information, with 90 percent carrying a warning about drinking while pregnant.

Commenting on the voluntary move, Diageo Chief Executive Officer Ivan Menezes said, "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. We are committed to ensuring our consumers have the best possible information from which to make informed choices."

Diageo shares settled at 1,940.50 pence on Thursday, down 0.69 percent.