Canadian government proposes changes to vodka regulations

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has proposed a series of changes to the country’s vodka regulations which could expand the remit of base materials that can be used to produce the spirit.

In a statement posted on its website, the CFIA is proposing changes to Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) vodka standards, which have not been updated since 1959.

The current vodka regulations state that: “Vodka shall be a potable alcoholic beverage obtained by the treatment of grain spirit or potato spirit with charcoal so as to render the product without distinctive character, aroma or taste.”

In reference to the country’s burgeoning distilling sector and its desire to both experiment and to export its goods, the CFIA recognised that the current regulations “may not be serving the needs of some industry members or consumers”. It added that there have been requests to change the current standards to be more inclusive and promote innovation.

Canada’s FDR govern what can be labelled as vodka when the product is sold between provinces or imported into the country.

Vodka produced inside a province and not traded over provincial borders does not need to meet the CFIA standards.

Under the current regulations interstate-traded vodka must be made from grain or potatoes, must be filtered through charcoal and must be without distinctive character, aroma or taste.

The CFIA’s proposed changes include expanding the list of permitted raw materials to include any agricultural material. In addition, the regulations could permit the use of other materials beyond charcoal to fully or partially remove any distinctive character, aroma or taste from the spirit.

The CFIA also proposes that vodka produced from sources other than potatoes or grain would require this to be stated on the label, bringing Canada’s regulations in line with those of the EU.

Vodka standards in both the US and EU allow for the spirit to be produced from a wider list of raw materials.

In the US, vodka comes under Class 1 ‘neutral spirits or alcohol’, can be “produced from any material” and must be treated after distillation with “charcoal or other materials as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or colo(u)r”. Flavo(u)red vodka has a separate category.

In the EU, however, the regulations are more lenient. Updated in 2007, the EU standards state that vodka can be made from potatoes and/or cereals, or other agricultural raw materials. These are then distilled and/or rectified “so that the organoleptic characteristics of the raw materials used and by-products formed in fermentation are selectively reduced.”

“This process may be followed by redistillation and/or treatment with appropriate processing aids, including treatment with activated charcoal, to give it special organoleptic characteristics”.

Vodka not made from potatoes and cereals must state “produced from” and then the name of the raw material in question on the label.

Therefore, in the EU, the by-products produced during fermentation may be selectively reduced rather than completely removed, allowing for a more ‘characterful’ spirit.

The deadline for submitting feedback on the CFIA’s changes is 15 March 2019.

Interested parties can send there comments to cfia.labellingconsultation-etiquetage.acia@canada.ca. or by post to: Director, Consumer Protection and Market Fairness Division, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Directorate, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 1400 Merivale Road, Tower 2, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0Y9.