Starting from June 2022, the new regulations on solid beverages and a number of food-related standards including the standard for Baijiu were implemented. Among them, the Announcement of the State Administration for Market Regulation on Strengthening the Quality and Safety Supervision of Solid Beverages was officially implemented on June 1, 2022. The Announcement stipulated the product name, font size, warning information and claims of special groups of solid beverages. The two national standards GB/T 15109-2021 Terminology of Baijiu Industry and GB/T 17204-2021 Terminology and Classification of Alcoholic Beverages were officially implemented on June 1. In order to help enterprises better understand important regulations and standards, Antion made a brief interpretation of the related contents for reference.
I. The strictest new regulations for solid beverages are implemented
1. The font size of "solid beverage" shall be larger than other words on the same display panel
The Announcement stipulates that the name of solid beverage shall not be the same as that of the special food that has been approved; the specific name "solid beverage" shall be prominently marked on the product label to reflect the true nature of the food, and the font size shall be no smaller than other words on the same display panel (including words contained in trademarks and patterns).
It is recommended that enterprises query the approved special foods before confirming the product name, and check whether the name is the same. If so, it is recommended to modify.
2. The label needs to be indicated "warning information"
The Announcement clarifies that for the minimum sales unit of powdered protein beverage, powdered botanical beverage, powdered beverage for special uses, powdered flavored beverage and solid beverage with edible strains, "this product cannot replace special foods such as food for special medical purpose, infant and young children formulas and health food" shall be marked as warning information on the same display panel of the minimum sales unit, whose covered area shall be no less than 20% of the panel. The warning word shall be printed in bold and has a clear color difference with the background.
3. No functional implication is allowed for special groups
The Announcement clarifies that it is not allowed to express, imply or emphasize that the product is suitable for specific groups such as minors, elderly, pregnant women, patients, and people with nutritional risk or malnutrition using words or patterns on solid beverage labels, instructions and promotional information; it is not allowed to express or imply disease prevention and treatment functions, health functions or meeting the special needs of people with specific diseases using production process or raw material names.
4. Unused package can be extended to the end of the year
The requirements in the Announcement were implemented from June 1, 2022. The products previously produced can continue to be sold during the shelf life. However, on May 20, 2022, the State Administration for Market Regulation released the Notice of the General Office of SAMR on Extending the Use Time of Remaining Packaging Materials of Solid Beverage Enterprises. In order to reduce waste and help enterprises solve difficulties, if the existing product packaging materials of solid beverage manufacturers are not used up before June 1, 2022, they can be extended to use until December 31, 2022.
It is recommended that if the old packages are used up, the enterprise should design and print labels as soon as possible in accordance with the new regulations. If the old packages are not used up, the remaining packaging materials should be consumed as soon as possible within the remaining half a year. Solid beverages produced from January 1, 2023 need follow the new label requirements.
II. The new GBs for baijiu classifies flavored baijiu as integrated alcoholic beverages
The newly revised national standards have updated the definition of "Baijiu" as follows: distilled alcoholic beverage using grains as the main raw materials, and Daqu, Xiaoqu, bran koji, enzyme preparations and yeast as saccharification starter, by boiling, saccharification, fermentation, distillation, aging and blending. For solid-state Baijiu, the new GBs stipulate that edible alcohol and non-self-fermented substances with color, aroma and taste are not allowed to be added. For liquid-state baijiu and solid-liquid state Baijiu, the new GBs stipulate that grain edible brewing alcohol can be added, and non-self-fermented substances with color, aroma and taste cannot be used.
In addition, the new GBs also add the definition of flavored Baijiu, that is, it is an integrated alcoholic beverage with baijiu style based on solid-state Baijiu, liquid-state Baijiu, solid-liquid state Baijiu or edible alcohol, with food additives added. That is to say, the new GBs removes flavored baijiu from the classification of Baijiu, making it clear that it belongs to integrated alcoholic beverage.
It is reported that in the past, in order to ensure the aroma and taste of Baijiu, enterprises could modify it by adding food additives. After the implementation of the new GBs, baijiu with food additives can only be called "integrated alcoholic beverage". It is recommended that enterprises adjust the label contents in time according to the specific requirements of the new GBs and the actual situation of enterprises. Through the revision trend, it can be seen that the classification of the brewery industry will be more refined in the future, and the industry threshold will also be further improved. It is recommended that enterprises pay attention to the dynamic changes of regulations and standards at any time, and make a plan and respond as soon as possible.
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Source: Antion
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