Type and prevalence of nutrition-related claims on alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the extent of nutrition-related claims on ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol products to provide insights into the types and prevalence of claims across the category. MethodsProduct type, alcohol content, and presence/type of nutrition-related claims (n=491) information was collected, March-May 2022. Chi-square analyses with pairwise z-tests were used to identify differences in claim prevalence by product type. Spearman’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between alcohol content and number of claims. ResultsApproximately half (52%) of RTDs displayed at least one claim, with the most common claims referring to naturalness (32%), sugar- (31%), and energy-content (32%). Hard seltzers displayed the most claims (96%, M=3.4 claims/product, SD=1.6). There was a moderate negative correlation between alcohol content and number of claims (r =-.43, p<.001). ConclusionResults show the extensive use of nutrition-related claims on RTDs in Australia, particularly for hard seltzers. Implications for public healthNutrition-related claims have the potential to mislead consumers about the healthiness of alcohol products and more stringent regulation of nutrition-related claims is needed.