Two thirds (66%) of the total volume of spirits on sale in the EU market now contain energy information on-pack, spiritsEUROPE has said, with this share poised to grow over the coming years.
The group, which represents the spirits industry at European level, made the announcement in a progress report, adding that the milestone indicates that Europe's spirits producers are 'successfully delivering on their commitment to provide energy information on labels'.
Consumer Information
The commitment forms part of a multi-annual voluntary agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Consumer Information, which was facilitated by the European Commission in 2019.
Under the MoU, guidance on how to make nutrition information and ingredient listings has been made available to spirits producers.
“Despite the difficult market environment and tremendous challenges over the last years, we are proud to report that the sector has delivered on its labelling commitments outlined in the MoU”, commented Manu Giró, president of spiritsEUROPE and chief executive of MG Destilerías in Spain.
E-Label Solutions
In addition, spiritsEUROPE said that by working in close cooperation with the wine sector, spirits producers are developing e-label solutions that enable consumers to access product specific information through QR code technology.
“We strongly believe in the benefits of e-labels from reducing packaging waste, providing detailed and tailored information to consumers, lowering production costs, and fostering innovation," said Ulrich Adam, Director General of spiritsEUROPE.
"Our U-label Platform – developed together with our colleagues from the wine sector – has proven to be an easy-to-use solution, allowing consistent and best practice information sharing with our customers across the EU."
Adam added that he expects to see "rapid progress" in the rollout of digital labelling in the near future.
Read More: Ireland 'Jumping The Gun' On Alcohol Labelling, Says SpiritsEUROPE
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