Public-health
researchers hope the new requirement will not only raise awareness but also
spur drinkers to cut back on their drinking as a part of being calorie conscious. A new rule requiring restaurant chains to
list calories for their alcoholic drinks poses a conundrum for makers of beer,
wine and booze: Will drinkers change
their habits?
For the first
time restaurants across the country will have to list the caloric content of
alcoholic beverages, though some outlets in states like New York and California
already do so. In an industry where calories have been a relative mystery, the
federal rule-which applies to chains with 20 or more outlets-will provide a new
level of transparency about the often-overlooked calories in alcohol. Starting in May, the Food and Drug
Administration will require chains like Applebee's and TGI Fridays to list
calories next to all their menu items. That includes alcohol. Menus at Chili's, for instance, will soon
tell patrons a margarita packs a whopping 300 calories and a 12-ounce bottle of
Budweiser contains 150.
"If you
don't want to get the 400 calories from an alcoholic beverage, you can easily
swap for free water," said Margo G. Wootan, vice president for nutrition
at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based
consumer-advocacy group that lobbied the FDA to include alcoholic drinks in the
new rules.
Studies have found calorie counts can influence food
choices. Cochrane, a health-focused research network, last month published
findings showing that when food calories are disclosed on menus, diners' orders
have 7.8% fewer calories. Research on
how calorie counts affect drinking are scant, but there is some evidence that
such information might curb consumption.
A study published last year in
the academic journal Preventive Medicine estimated that imbibers in
jurisdictions with menu-labeling requirements consumed on average 2% less alcohol
than those in locales without mandates.
What motivates
people to order a celebratory cocktail or a glass of wine can overpower concern
about their waistlines. "People who want to drink a margarita are going to
drink a margarita because they like the drink and it tastes good," said
Frank Coleman, head of public affairs at the Distilled Spirits Council of the
U.S., the industry's main trade body. "People concerned about calories
will choose to have something like tequila, club soda and lime." Until now, most drinkers haven't had a lot
to go on in terms of calorie information. Some brewers print the calories in
their beer on bottles and cans, but the practice isn't widespread. Wineries and
spirits makers rarely list calories on their products, though some make them
available online.
Laura Burke, a
22-year-old emergency medical technician in Hoboken, N.J., was shocked to
discover the two margaritas she recently drank at a dinner out contained close
to 1,000 calories in total. "My
jaw just dropped," Ms. Burke said after googling the calorie count.
"I do think it would impact my decision making," she said, if menus
carried calorie counts.
The method
suggested by distillers and small brewers assigns a calorie count of 96 to a
1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey; it gives a 5-ounce
glass of wine, red or white, 122 calories. A 12-ounce bottle of regular beer
gets 153 calories, and light beer 103 calories. By that measure spirits look like the
healthiest choice, but then add mixers and that beer starts looking a lot
better calorie-wise. The Beer Institute, the trade body for big brewers,
lobbied for calorie counts to be disclosed for individual brands and full
drinks, including mixers. The FDA ultimately decided along these lines.
Read More at https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-cocktails-have-calories-new-rules-will-show-how-many-1521813600
