Beer drinkers tend to be a devoted bunch. So are brewmasters and the others involved in beer production, as food blogger Vani Hari -- the self-proclaimed "Food Babe" -- is learning.
Hari has been promoting a petition calling on Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors to put ingredient labels on their beer, just as soft drink bottlers and other food producers do.
Many consumer petition crusades go unnoticed but apparently not when beer is involved. Within hours of our posting a story about Hari's campaign yesterday, Anheuser-Busch issued a statement noting that it provides nutritional information about the contents of its beers at www.tapintoyourbeer.com.
Hari's not buying that, however.
"Nutritional labeling is distinctly different than ingredient disclosure, and it is not enough transparency for consumers to avoid additives like the corn syrup they use in many of their beers," she told USA Today.
Today, Anheuser-Busch followed up and said it is working on putting the ingredient list online, noting it's not required to do so by law.
"[A]s American consumer needs evolve, we want to meet their expectations. Therefore, we are working to list our beer ingredients on our website, just as you would see for other food and non-alcohol beverage producers," an Anheuser-Busch spokesman told ConsumerAffairs in an email. "We are beginning immediately, having incorporated this information earlier today on www.tapintoyourbeer.com for our flagship brands, Budweiser and Bud Light, and will be listing this for our other brands in the coming days.”
Brewery tour
Just about anyone who lives in the Midwest at some point makes the pilgrimage to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis and the company thinks Vani Hari and her husband should share the experience.
“We are inviting Vani Hari and her husband to our flagship St. Louis brewery to show how our beers are made and the ingredients we use. Our brewmasters take great pride in making our beers to the highest standards of quality and consistency," the spokesman said.
No word yet on whether the Haris will be heading to St. Louis anytime soon.