Lion has announced that it will be adding nutrition information panels to bottles and cartons across its entire Australian beer portfolio from August 2015.

Lion has said that the decision was spurred by consumer research which showed 87 percent of Aussies don’t know what goes into beer, and 73 percent want more information on the beers they drink. Lion hopes that the labels will help fill the gaps for consumers.

The beverage retailer also said it hopes that the labels will help dispel rumours that beer is full of sugar and preservatives. Lion says its wholly-owned Australian beers are all preservative-free and most are on average 99.9 per cent sugar free.

Lion hopes the nutritional information will boost sales with Managing Director of Lion’s Australian beer business, James Brindley said that beer is still the number one foot traffic driver to retail outlets.

“Shoppers who know more about beer spend more on average than those with little beer knowledge, so there is a clear benefit for our customers in improving understanding of the category as a whole,” said Brindley.

“We recognise changing perceptions of beer will take time, and Lion is committed to this campaign for the long term.”

Lion’s research shows that when it comes to their drinks, Australians want to know about sugar (76%), carbohydrates (52%) and calories (47%).

“Positively, 7 in 10 also say that if this information was available it would help them make more informed drinking choices – such as choosing an option with a lower sugar, carb or calorie content, or moderating their alcohol intake, said Brindley.

The new labelling will initially roll out on Lion’s biggest beer brands, including XXXX, Tooheys, Hahn, James Squire and a range of smaller brands, covering more than 90 per cent of the brewer’s total owned beer volume. The remaining beers will be updated over the coming months.

“Rest assured, this is about providing the facts about our beers, not about changing the beers themselves,” said Brindley.

Key additional facts from the 2016 Galaxy Survey used by Lion to inform their decision to add nutritional labels,

• Women (71%) are more likely than men (56%) to consider nutritional information when choosing an alcohol beverage
• Having sugar content appear on nutrition information labels is especially important to women (80%)
• Most people (94%) overestimate the amount of sugar in beer
• Only 6% are aware that there is generally less than half a gram of sugar in a 375ml stubby of full strength beer. Most people think there is at least double the actual amount of sugar in beer that there actually is.

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