[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 155 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATING THE EFFORTS OF DIAGEO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. HIMES

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2015

  Mr. HIMES. Mr. Speaker, today, I am proud to congratulate the efforts 
of Diageo to make nutritional and alcohol-content information on 
alcoholic beverages more accessible to consumers.
  Diageo is voluntarily taking steps to list this information in a way 
that is easily understood by most people. For many of us, it is not 
very useful to know how many calories a drink has per 50 milliliters, 
or what the alcohol content of one-third of a beer is. That's why 
Diageo will list this information by typical serving size, so consumers 
will know how much alcohol and how many calories are in a single can of 
beer or one mixed drink, for example.
  While the labeling will begin in Europe right away, it is the 
company's plan to roll it out to all approved markets as soon as 
possible.
  I am supportive of these efforts because I believe that consumers 
want more access to information about the food and beverages they 
consume, and want that information presented in a way that is relevant 
to the consumption decisions they make. I also think that any increase 
in transparency and labelling in the alcohol industry can help curtail 
alcohol overconsumption and drunk driving.
  Diageo has been a longtime and upstanding member of the business 
community in the 4th Congressional District of Connecticut, and I am 
once again pleased to see them setting trends in their industry, 
especially when those trends could lead to a healthier and safer world.

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