This report responds to the obligation set for the Commission by Article 16(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/20111 on the provision of food information to consumers (the Regulation). This provision exempts alcoholic beverages containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol from the mandatory list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration and states that the Commission shall produce a report addressing whether alcoholic beverages should in future be covered, in particular, by the requirement to provide the information on the energy value, and the reasons justifying possible exemptions, taking into account the need to ensure coherence with other relevant Union policies and considering in this context the need to propose a definition of 'alcopops'.

The Regulation establishes the basis for a high level of consumer protection in relation to food information, ensuring that consumers are not misled by food labels and can make informed choices. The list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration are among the key particulars that allow these informed choices.

While nutrition labelling can play a certain role in the promotion of a more moderate alcohol consumption, the issue of the labelling of the list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration for alcoholic beverages is examined in this report under the perspective of consumer information about the identity and the properties of a food.

This report builds on the positions on the labelling of alcoholic beverages which were expressed by the different interested parties before and after the adoption of the Regulation.