nsideration of measurable criteria. Additionally, the FDR provided for one standard for beer and another one for ale, porter, stout and malt liquor that were virtually identical, potentially causing unnecessary confusion.

Beer was the only prepackaged food that was exempted from the labelling of food allergen sources, gluten sources and added sulphites. As a wider range of ingredients are now permitted in beer, the shift to the labelling of food allergen sources, gluten sources and added sulphites on beer will provide important ingredient information to consumers.

Background

Food and Drug Regulations and food compositional standards

The Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) set out requirements regarding health and safety, composition, labelling, treatment, processing, sale and advertising requirements that apply to food.

There are over 300 food compositional standards prescribed under the FDR. Food compositional standards are a set of established requirements, including technical specifications and other criteria (such as ingredients, strength, potency, purity and quality), that define a particular food, often with its associated common name.