Craft brewing, cider making and distilling

Alcohol products such as beer, cider and spirits, must comply with food labelling and packaging rules. Labelling must be accurate, clear and not misleading - falsely describing products is a criminal offence. 

All labels should include:

• name of the drink
• ingredients or processing aids that cause allergies or intolerances
• warnings if the drink contains certain ingredients, eg liquorice and aspartame
• net quantity of the drink
• date of minimum durability, eg a 'best before' date
• any special storage conditions or instructions for use, if necessary
• name or business name and address of the producer
• country of origin or place of provenance (if required)
• the alcohol strength by volume for drinks with more than 1.2% alcohol by volume (ABV)

Normally, pre-packaged food products must include an ingredients list. This is not required for drinks over 1.2% ABV. Alcoholic drinks over 1.2% ABV also do not require a nutrition declaration. However, you may choose to voluntarily include an energy declaration in kJ (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories), and on a per 100ml basis. You may additionally provide the energy information per portion. 

Alternatively, you can provide a full ("back of pack") nutrition declaration on a voluntary basis on alcoholic drinks. This must be expressed per 100ml. You may additionally provide this information per portion.

Health messaging on alcohol

There is currently no legal requirement in the UK for health warnings or mandatory calorie labelling on alcohol products. The UK Chief Medical Officer provides guidelines to the public for reducing the risks of drinking alcohol. The Department of Health recommends that producers communicate these guidelines to consumers voluntarily on alcohol packaging.