WARNING: Avoid these common beer labeling format errors

In a recent industry note, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau noted that some of the most common problems they see on alcohol beverage labels are errors in the mandatory health warning statement, including punctuation and formatting.

The following health warning statement must appear on all alcohol beverages sold in the U.S. that contain 0.5% or more alcohol by volume:

GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.

Tips to avoid common problems with Government Warning

Follow these TTB tips to help avoid some of the most common problems on health warning statements:

• The words “GOVERNMENT WARNING” must appear in capital letters and in bold type.
• Don’t omit or change any punctuation marks (periods, commas, colon, parentheses)
• You may not include health warnings specifically related to alcohol consumption that are required by a foreign government

See the regulations for yourself at 27 CFR part 16.