Diageo claims to become the first alcohol company to voluntarily provide nutritional information including calories per typical serving for all of its products.

The information will be provided on Diageo’s website DRINKiQ.com as well as on its packaging with product labels "subject to local regulatory approval, as soon as practicable."

The move, which was hailed by Ian Duncan, MEP for Scotland and Member of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, is aimed at generating awareness among consumers about the litres consumed and to reduce the misuse of alcohol.

Diageo has already secured regulatory approval in the US.

As cited in the drinks business, Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes said: "Currently, there is no obligation to provide such information in markets worldwide, but we know that consumers are increasingly discerning about what’s in their glass. We want to provide alcohol and nutrition information that consumers can quickly understand, instead of expecting them to do the maths."

"Providing both the nutrition and alcohol content of alcohol drinks, in an easy to understand ‘per serving’ format, is a major improvement on the confusing current system, where there are different measurements of alcohol units across the EU", he said.

"This is a hugely positive step and one that the European Commission should reflect on, as it considers how to tackle harmful drinking"

EU has currently exempted alcoholic drinks from providing nutritional information on labels, unlike other foodstuffs, though UK drinks industry labels 80% of products with key health information. Over 90% products also carry warnings about consumption during pregnancy.

Diageo plans to work with EU to establish a standard alcohol unit across the 28 member states to provide a universal way of communicating alcohol content to consumers, added the publication.