To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any current guidance or policy around the labelling of food products that contain alcohol.

In Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency has policy responsibility for food information to consumers rules. Alcoholic beverages containing more than 1.2 % alcohol, must indicate alcoholic strength. Alcoholic beverages are exempt from certain mandatory labelling requirements, such as nutrition declarations and ingredients.

All prepacked food must have a list of ingredients. If an ingredient with an alcoholic content is included in a food, then it must be included in the ingredients list.

If an ingredient containing alcohol appears in the name of the food or is emphasised on the labelling, this must be declared in the ingredients list, along with a quantitative declaration.

For non-prepacked food, including foods sold loose in catering establishments, there is no mandatory requirement to provide a list of ingredients. However, if provided, it must not mislead.

DAERA has responsibility for policy relating to the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks. EU Regulations applicable in Northern Ireland contain provisions which apply when spirit drinks are used in food. If a food label alludes, either directly or indirectly, to the legal name of one or more spirit drinks, such as whiskey or rum, or to a Geographical Indication such as Irish Whiskey, all alcohol present in that food should come exclusively from those spirit drinks. The product can also include alcohol that is in flavourings, colours or other authorised ingredients.

Detailed guidance on the labelling of alcoholic drinks can be found online. For spirit drinks, please refer to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/labelling-spirit-drinks. Guidance on wine labelling is available at: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/wine-labelling.