This research, just published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, is based on a detailed analysis of the information presented on the containers of alcoholic beverages, such as ready-to-drink cocktails and sodas, sold in Quebec. To constitute the sample studied, the researchers visited three supermarkets of different banners located in Quebec City in July 2021, and bought a can of each product of this type offered in store. A total of 193 products manufactured by 49 companies were studied.
Their analysis revealed that 68% of products carry at least one nutritional statement. Most often, this is a statement on the presence of natural flavors (45%), the presence of a Nutrition Facts table (38%), a statement on calorie content (29%) or sugar content (20%), or a statement on the absence of gluten (13%) in the product.
"The presence of nutritional information could make these products more acceptable to health-conscious consumers. This information may also obscure the fact that these beverages contain as much alcohol as traditional alcoholic beverages such as beer," points out the study’s first author, Élisabeth Demers-Potvin, a nutritionist and student researcher in Lana Vanderlee’s team at the School of Nutrition, the NUTRISS Centre - Nutrition, Health and Society, and Laval University’s Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods.
Comparing products with regular alcohol content (over 4% up to 7%) to those with reduced alcohol content (3.5% to 4%), the researchers found that the latter more often carried a nutritional statement (97% vs. 19%) and a Nutrition Facts table (97% vs. 26%). "The greater presence of nutritional statements on reduced-alcohol products diverts attention from the fact that they contain almost as much alcohol as regular alcoholic beverages," argues Élisabeth Demers-Potvin.
"In the interests of consumers, we should better regulate and standardize the labeling and marketing of these products."
-- Élisabeth Demers-Potvin As a general rule, products with more nutritional information may be seen as a better choice than those with little or none, she continues. "We know that for other food products, this can influence consumer choice and quantities consumed."
Ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages essentially contain water, flavoring and alcohol. The widespread use of nutritional claims to give these products a healthful halo can create confusion," says Élisabeth Demers-Potvin. In the interests of consumers, the labeling and marketing of these products should be better regulated and standardized."
The authors of the study, published in Preventive Medicine Reports, are Élisabeth Demers-Potvin, Alexa Gaucher-Holm, Véronique Provencher, Manon Niquette, Ariane Bélanger-Gravel and Lana Vanderlee of Université Laval, and Erin Hobin of Public Health Ontario.
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