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Suntory Global Spirits

Beam Suntory, Inc.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Salvatore De Meo (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Carlsberg Breweries A/S and

7 Mar 2023 · PPWR

Meeting with Luisa Regimenti (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Ceramic Industry Association and

7 Mar 2023 · PPWR

Response to Revision of Food Information to Consumers for what concerns labelling rules on alcoholic beverages

15 Jul 2021

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. The company was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good, which now includes its transformative sustainability strategy, Proof Positive. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for our company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark® bourbon brands, Courvoisier® cognac, as well as our world renowned premium European brands including Kilbeggan, Connemara and Tyrconnell Irish Whiskies, and Destilerias y Crianzas (DYC) Whisky and Larios Gin from Spain. We welcome the opportunity to participate in this consultation, we believe it is important for consumers to have access to information, which is meaningful, relevant and useful to them. In terms of production processes and labelling rules, it is important to underline that spirit drinks are among the most tightly regulated food and drink products in the EU. The specific rules contained in Regulation 2019/787 guarantee a best-in-class level of protection and information for consumers when purchasing spirit drinks. We are therefore proud to also be a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on Consumer Information between the European Commission and spiritsEurope. We are committed to providing energy information on label per serve and also per 100mls. We are also in the process of adding ingredient information to our Drinksmart.com website, which already contains full nutritional information. Applying this information to our labels has taken over a year of regulatory, technical and due diligence preparation work. It has resulted in a complete overhaul of our supply chain process and significant costs. This change has not been easy, but we believe it is the right thing to do. Against this background, we would encourage the EU Commission to reflect the recently negotiated rules on consumer information for wine in the context of the CMO regulation under the CAP reform in the rules on the labelling of alcoholic beverages. The new rules include a mix of on-label and on-line information: Energy information shall be provided on-pack whilst other information shall be provided online. Beam Suntory welcomes this approach and asks for the same solution to apply for all alcoholic beverages above 1.2% ABV, in the sense of the Policy Option 1. Policy Option 1 is the most logical and sequential step to take when moving gradually from self-regulation to mandatory rules. It would seamlessly build on, and complete, the success of the MoU and acknowledge the significant efforts and financial investments made by our company implementing the MoU. Moreover, Option 1 supports an aligned and harmonized regulatory framework of labelling rules at EU level for all alcoholic beverages above 1.2% ABV and the desired creation of a level playing field for all operators. An equal playing field across categories of alcoholic beverages is of paramount importance to ensure the free movement of goods on the EU’s Internal Market, to broaden consumer choice, and to create fair competition boosting the EU’s competitiveness and innovation alike. As part of Option 1, we encourage the European Commission to invite the provision of energy information per portion for alcoholic beverages above 1.2% (alongside the mandatory provision of information per 100ml). This information is critical for adequate consumer understanding and for comparing different beverages.
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Meeting with Elina Melngaile (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Michael Hager (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and

23 Jun 2021 · EU-US trade relations; Trade relations with other third countries

Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan), Peter Power (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan) and Brown-Forman Netherlands BV

28 Jan 2020 · EU-US relations and effects on whiskey industry