Products not meeting this requirement could be reformulated to lower the residual sugars below the limit to meet the beer standard or be sold as an unstandardized beverage with an appropriate common name (e.g. “blend of beer and grapefruit juice”).

Flavouring preparations

A flavouring preparation includes any food for which a standard is provided in Division 10 of the FDR. Flavouring preparations are used in the manufacture of foods to impart or modify an odour or taste. To facilitate innovation and increase consumer choices, the beer standard specifically allows for flavouring preparations in beer. The use of a flavouring preparation triggers an additional requirement for a mandatory declaration that a specific flavouring preparation was used as part of the common name on the label (e.g. “beer with blueberry flavour”). This clearly identifies to consumers that flavouring preparations were added to a beer while allowing product innovation for brewers.

Food additives

A food additive is any chemical substance that is added to food during preparation or storage and either becomes a part of the food or affects its characteristics (e.g. caramel for colouring). Health Canada has long maintained positive lists of permitted food additives, which set out the co