Press releases

Wine & Spirits sectors launch ground-breaking digital labelling

• Wine and spirits industry join forces to bring new e-label platform to give EU consumers full and multilingual product information at click of a button
• First practical sector wide application of e-labelling in Europe, a leading example of successful efforts towards more transparency
• U-label allows small and large companies to easily start building their digital information strategy and meet consumer expectations

Brussels, 30/09/2021 – Today marks the launch of U-LABEL, a consumer-friendly e-label platform that will enable consumers across Europe to access information via QR code technology about the wine and spirits products they purchase, in their own language. U-LABEL is an innovation made possible through a unique collaboration between CEEV and SpiritsEUROPE.

“This platform responds to consumer demand for more information. Empowering consumers to make healthy food choices, including as regards alcoholic beverages is one of the key objectives of the Commission.  We will all need to work together towards a new and harmonised frame for the labelling of all alcoholic beverages” said Claire Bury, Deputy Director General in DG SANTE at the European Commission.

The platform allows any wine or spirit company, small or large, to give EU consumers relevant, standardised and detailed product information – such as list of ingredients, nutrition information, responsible drinking guidelines and information about sustainability.

“Today’s consumers expect more transparency on the products they consume, and digital labelling can respond to this demand by boosting the information that companies share with their consumers, without changing the appearance of the packaging”, said Jean-Marie Barillère, President of CEEV.

For the first time ever in the food sector, the Common Agricultural Policy legal framework will authorise wines to communicate mandatory information through e-labels. “We decided to create U-LABEL to offer all wine and spirits companies an affordable turnkey solution to embark on this digital journey. We are proud to be able to deliver this innovative multilingual tool over two years before new labelling rules become a legal obligation for wine producers under the CAP reform.” added Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, CEEV Secretary General.

With fifteen companies participating in the pilot phase, the standardized U-LABEL system will be thoroughly tested. This successful collaboration with companies from various countries and sizes allowed U-LABEL to stick as close as possible to the true needs of today's wine and spirits companies and consumers.

“The European spirits industry already committed to providing energy information on label and ingredient information online in its 2019 MoU on Consumer Information, and we are meeting the targets we set then”, said Ulrich Adam, SpiritsEUROPE Director General, “Consumers want comprehensive information at their digital fingertips. This is what we are providing voluntary through U-LABEL. We call on the European Commission to follow suit and set standards for digital labelling across product types, not to substitute but to complement on-pack information with what consumers are looking for.”

Following today’s launch event, U-LABEL will be opened to all wine and spirits companies from 1^st November 2021.

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NOTE TO EDITORS

• The U-LABEL platform (www.u-label.com) is an online tool created to support wine and spirits companies in providing EU consumers with relevant, accurate and detailed information about their products by means of an e-label, accessible to consumers through a QR-code printed on the back-label of the bottle. With the U-label platform, any company, including small- or micro-ones, can benefit from the legal and technical expertise needed to generate e-labels in all EU official languages. The platform is open to any wine or spirits company wishing to commercialise their products in the EU.
• The U-LABEL pilot project proudly gathers 16 companies who have devoted time and efforts to accompany us in developing the concept of the U-LABEL platform and to test its features and functioning before its official launch. This successful collaboration with companies from various countries and sizes allowed us to stick as close as possible to the true needs of today's wine and spirits companies. We are proud to present today some of the first products to have created an e-label and apposed a QR-code on their labels.
• CEEV - Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (www.ceev.eu) was founded in 1960 and represents the European Union wine companies in the industry and trade (still wines, aromatised wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines and other vine products). It brings together 23 national organisations from 11 EU Member States, plus Switzerland, United Kingdom and Ukraine, as well as a consortium of 4 leading European wine companies. The companies represented by CEEV, mainly small and medium sized companies, produce and market most quality European wines, both with and without a geographical indication, and account for over 90% of European wine exports.
• spiritsEUROPE (www.spirits.eu) represents the interests of the spirits sector in 30 national associations as well as of the 10 leading multinational companies.  Distilled spirits are as diverse as the EU’s Member States, spanning 44 product categories and including a host of geographically-specific products that contribute to the culture of their regions and the European Union.  As the leading voice of the European spirits sector, we seek to maintain and advance the freedom to produce and market spirits in a responsible way.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Questions & Answers on the U-LABEL platform
• Presentation of the pilot products
• Presentation of the pilot products
• CEEV website – Digital Labelling
• spiritsEUROPE website – U-label platform launch event