tennents md alastair campbell

Tennent’s Lager will become the first major lager brand in the UK to display calorie information on pack when it rolls out new cans next month.

The C&C Group brand has stolen a march on drinks suppliers Diageo, Treasury Wine Estates and AB InBev, all of which have pledged to provide nutritional information in various forms but haven’t yet released new packs in the UK.

Last April, MEPs on the European Parliament’s health committee voted for the EC to draw up plans for regulations on labelling by this year at the latest, putting growing pressure on suppliers. Sainsbury’s introduced calorie information on some own label wines in February 2014.

Tennent’s said consumers were increasingly interested in knowing about what they were eating and drinking and expected to see information on pack. It said the move would flag up that Tennent’s contained 30 calories per 100ml - lower than fruit juice or full-sugar carbonated soft drinks. Tennent’s-branded beer mats in the on-trade will also feature the figures.

“We are introducing calorie information to ensure people can make an informed decision,” said Alastair Campbell, MD of Tennent Caledonian. “Consumers can see this information on the foods they eat; we therefore believe the packaging of our beer and cider brands should carry these details too.”

AB InBev announced last month the secondary packaging of its multipacks would feature nutrition stats on energy, fat, satfat, carbohydrates, sugar, protein and salt.