The Nation : Liquor Labels Rejected

A federal appeals court in Washington ruled that beer, wine and liquor bottles are not required to have labels listing all ingredients. The three-member U.S. Court of Appeals panel reversed a U.S. District Court judge’s decision last year that reinstated a Treasury Department rule requiring labeling on alcoholic beverages. In an 18-page decision, the panel chided the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for its complicated explanation about why the government had reversed itself, and decided that labels were not necessary. However, the panel said that the agency’s finding that ingredient information was of little value to the consumer provides a reasoned justification for withdrawing the regulation.