Three consumer groups have filed suit against the U.S. government urging action on a nearly two-decade-old petition seeking greater transparency in alcohol labeling. Center for Science in the Public Interest v. U.S. Dep’t of Treasury, No. 22-2975 (D.D.C., filed October 3, 2022). The plaintiffs—the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America and National Consumers League—are suing the U.S. Department of Treasury and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), calling on them to require alcohol labeling “with the same basic transparency consumers expect in foods,” such as alcohol content, calorie and ingredient information. The groups initially filed a 2003 petition along with 66 other organizations and eight individuals, including four deans of schools of public health. “Enhanced transparency in alcohol labeling is a commonsense step that can help address the health and safety concerns related to the consumption of alcohol and would allow consumers to…
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The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued an industry circular stating that it "will return for correction any applications for formulas containing 'hemp' ingredients (other than ingredients derived from hemp seeds or hemp seed oil)" until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates that the ingredients' use would not violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The circular, addressed to wineries, breweries, distilleries and importers, states that TTB consults with FDA on ingredients' safety and notes that, despite the change in the definition for "marijuana" in the 2018 Farm Bill, "FDA stressed that food companies that wish to use cannabis or cannabis-derived ingredients in their foods are subject to the relevant laws and regulations that govern all food products, including those that relate to the requirements for food additive approval and substantiation of evidence for Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status."
