What do you want to know?

• How do I read a Nutrition Information Panel?

  A Nutrition Information Panel provides the nutrition content of the food or beverage in both a 'per serve' and then 'per 100mLs' so you can compare products.

  There are two main components to an NIP: energy and nutrients.

  Energy, the first component, is often referred to as the 'fuel' for our bodies. Knowing the energy that foods and beverages can provide, helps you to balance the energy you take in with the energy you expend throughout the day (e.g. body functions, daily activities and physical activity). Energy is shown in the NIP, as kilojoules (kJ), and sometimes calories (Cal), is also included for your convenience.

  The second component of the NIP is the nutrients. This section can vary depending on what the product's nutritional benefits are, but by law : protein, fat (total and saturated), carbohydrates (total and sugars), and sodium must always be listed.

  For more information please go here.

• Have you changed any of the beers to meet the nutrition criteria?

  No, none of the beers featured on Beer the Beautiful Truth have been changed to meet the nutrition criteria. The program is about nutrition education and transparency, and the beautiful truth is that the brewing process means beers have always been naturally low in sugar, calories, and carbohydrates.

• How can beer have hardly any sugar?

  As part of the brewing process the yeast ferments the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, reducing the sugar level by varying degrees - in many cases to less than 1%.

• What is meant by 'preservative free' and why aren't preservatives needed in our beers?

  'Preservative free' means that our beers (like many others) have not had any substance added to them to prolong the shelf life of the product. Basically we don't add preservatives to beer because we don't need to. Most beer is pasteurised and the alcohol and hops in beer act as natural preservatives.

• Why are there calories in beer if beer is relatively low in carbohydrates and sugars?

  Just as the energy or calories in food can come from a number of sources, such as carbohydrates, fats or proteins, the energy in beer mainly comes from the alcohol component. There are in fact 7 calories (or 29 kilojoules) in every 1 gram of alcohol. This explains why even though the sugar and carbohydrate content of beer is quite low, there are still calories in beer.

  As an example, a low strength beer will typically have less calories than a full strength beer because of the lower alcohol content.

• Do facts such as '99% sugar free' and 'preservative free' apply to all beers?

  We can't speak for every beer brewed in the world so it's best to check with other brewers for the nutrition information on about their specific beers. What we do know is that due to the brewing process, beer is a beverage relatively low in sugar and is typically preservative free.

  The nutrition information we provide about our beers is specific to the beer on which it appears - it's important to check because not all beers within a brand will have the same nutrition properties, and not all of our beers are 99% sugar free.

  You can learn more about the nutritional properties of our beers here.

• How does beer compare to other alcoholic beverages?

  The purpose of Beer the Beautiful Truth is to provide nutrition education and transparency about the beer category, not to make comparisons with other alcoholic beverages. Some products will already include nutritional information on packaging or online; if not you would be best to contact the manufacturer.

• Why are some of your beers not part of the campaign?

  The focus of Beer the Beautiful Truth is nutritional education and transparency about some of New Zealand’s most popular beers. The beers in the campaign represent over 2/3 of the volume of beer sold in New Zealand.

  Because of the rigourous level of testing required and the requirements for labelling, we have chosen not to include some of our smaller brands, beers that are limited releases, or available on tap only. Some licensed or imported beers are also not part of the campaign at this stage. Due to the brewing process, all beer is relatively low in sugar and typically preservative free. However, without doing the rigourous testing and adding Nutrition Information Panels to packaging, these beers cannot be part of the campaign.

  Newly released beers may not be part of the campaign from launch, as we typically won’t have done enough testing to satisfy the rigourous requirements. They will join the campaign at a later stage.

  Some of our flavoured beers, such as DB Export Citrus, Monteith's Summer Ale, Monteith's Radler or Summit Lime, are higher in sugar than standard beers due to the use of natural juices and flavours. These beers can’t claim to be 99% sugar free and so are not featured in the Beer the Beautiful Truth programme. However we still want to provide nutritional information on these products, so they will have Nutrition Information Panels added.

• How can you say that beer can be part of a balanced lifestyle?

  Research shows that, consumed in moderation, alcohol can form part of a balanced lifestyle. What's important is that people are clear on the facts, that they understand what a standard drink is and are aware of the nutrition content of the products they are consuming, to help them make more informed choices. As a part of this education process, we're not only adding the nutrition information panel to some of your favourite beer brands, we're also providing information to consumers and healthcare and lifestyle professionals on the effect of alcohol on the body, alcohol and health, what constitutes a standard drink and tips for moderating consumption.

  The Cheers! website contains some great information about the effect alcohol has on your body: for more information visit www.cheers.org.nz.