Some of the provinces and territories (such as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) refer to the FDR and other federal legislation as guidelines. In British Columbia, the Liquor Distribution Branch has implemented a policy allowing beer to contain residual sugars up to 4%, which is aligned with the federal standard.

Rationale

The amendments to the FDR fulfill the Government of Canada’s commitment to modernize the beer compositional standard. It is anticipated that the modernization of the beer compositional standard, developed in consultation with stakeholders, will bring benefits to the beer industry, impacted regulated parties, producers and consumers.

This modernization is intended to support industry innovation, and enhance consumer offerings by

• allowing for innovation;
• addressing duplication and inconsistencies in the current beer compositional standards;
• enhancing labelling information for consumers; and
• providing additional clarity to regulated parties and consumers.