Canada: New beer standard to support Canada's brewers

Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Member of Parliament for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, announced on October, 3 that the Government of Canada is fulfilling its commitment made as part of Economic Action Plan 2014 to modernize Canada's beer standards.

Canada's compositional standard for beer outlines the specific requirements that must be met for a product to be labelled, packaged, sold or advertised as beer. Brewers have expressed concerns that the existing standard is outdated and can create barriers for the introduction of new products.

The new proposed standard, which was developed in collaboration with industry, would provide for clearer and more modern regulations that would enable the industry to take full advantage of innovation and market developments. For example, the new standard would expand the definition of beer to allow for non-traditional ingredients such as spices and fruit. These changes would lead to more choices for consumers.

The consultation period will run until November 16, 2014.

The brewing industry is an important contributor to the Canadian economy, representing more than C $14 bln in economic activity or 0.9 per cent of total gross domestic product.

"The brewing industry is an important contributor to the Canadian economy. Modernizing the compositional standard for beer will allow Canadian brewers to take full advantage of innovation and market developments while providing quality products to consumers," Pierre Lemieux said.

08 October, 2014