NEW YORK (Reuters) - A division of the U.S. Treasury
Department on Thursday said it would set advertising and
labeling standards for low-carbohydrate alcoholic beverages,
which have become increasingly popular due to the Atkins
diet craze.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau set interim
standards for the use of terms like "low carbohydrate,"
saying an alcoholic beverage must have less than 7 grams of
carbohydrates to be labeled or advertised as such.
It said a product may be labeled as containing "reduced"
or "lower" carbohydrates if it includes more than 7
grams of carbohydrates but less than the regular version
of the product.
The new standards would prohibit statements claiming that
low-carbohydrate alcoholic drinks may play a healthy role in
a diet, as these claims ignore the dangers of excessive
alcohol consumption, according to the bureau.
The bureau said it plans to set permanent standards on the
issue in the near future.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.'s low-carbohydrate Michelob Ultra
has been a big hit, and Adolph Coors Co., seeing its Coors
Light brand suffer because of Michelob Ultra, recently
introduced the low-carb Aspen Edge.