UK-based supermarkets operator Sainsbury's is set to add calorie-content information to its wine labeling in a bid to help consumers make informed health choices.
The company will introduce the labeling on 20 new, 125l glass bottles from its winemakers' selection and will continue rolling out calorie labeling during 2014 and 2015.
Sainsbury research revealed that 85% of consumers do not know how many calories are there in a glass of wine, 63% of them did not account for wine as part of their calorie intake, while a very few of them would like to see calorie labeling on alcohol?.
As per the research, over 58% of consumers are also unaware of the government guidelines for daily alcohol consumption, while more than one in three of them try to control their alcohol consumption in order to stay healthy.
Further. an average of 74% of adults know about their recommended daily calorie intake, while the remaining are aware of the guidelines for daily alcohol consumption.
Sainsbury findings show that 62% of consumers control their alcohol consumption in a bid to remain healthy and nearly 44% of them try to limit their drinking in an effort to manage their weight, while only 25% consider the calories consumed from wine when counting their daily total intake.
It has also been observed that consumers rely on clear on-pack food labeling to get their nutritional information and 66% of them would like the same labeling standards to apply to alcohol packaging to make calorie information more transparent.
The research noted the fact that at present, only 15% of consumers know the content of calories in a glass of wine.
Sainsbury's Responsible Drinking Steering Group chair Helen Buck said the research shows that shoppers are confused regarding the calories in alcohol.
"We hope that by clearly displaying this information on the bottle, we'll be able to help our customers to make responsible choices more easily," Buck added.
