U.S. vs EU alcohol compliance: Why it matters, and how to get it right

Did you know that alcoholic beverages face very different compliance rules in the U.S. compared to the EU?

In the U.S., alcohol is regulated mainly by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau). This means FDA Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) under 21 CFR Part 110 and pre-market facility registration usually don’t apply. Instead, producers often rely on voluntary GMP or HACCP programs  driven by customer, retailer, or export demands.

Meanwhile, the EU treats alcoholic beverages as food under Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, so GMP-based hygiene standards are mandatory. EU producers must also comply with specialized rules, like EU 2019/787 for spirits and Regulation 1169/2011 on labeling. Although drinks over 1.2 % abv are exempt from mandatory nutrition panels, voluntary labeling is increasingly common to meet consumer expectations. HACCP systems are also widely used to manage food safety risks and support market access.

                                  U.S. vs. EU Alcohol Regulatory Distinctions:

	United States (TTB)	European Union (EU)
Primary regulator	TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)	EU-wide regulations (Reg. 178/2002, 2019/787, etc.)
Treated as food?	No (exempt from FDA GMP & facility registration)	Yes (subject to food hygiene & labeling rules)
GMP mandatory?	No (voluntary or market-driven)	Yes (part of food hygiene regulations)
HACCP	Voluntary, often used for exports	Common, widely required as risk-based tool
Nutrition labeling	Not required	Exempt above 1.2% abv, but voluntary disclosure encouraged
Label approval	TTB COLA (Certificate of Label Approval)	National authorities, harmonized under EU labeling laws

At TWeE grupo, we help producers bridge these differences: auditing facilities against GMP and HACCP standards, designing tailored HACCP plans, guiding label compliance with TTB, FDA, and EU rules, and coordinating export documentation to ensure traceability.