nsumption has shown a slight decline over the last few years, the number of brewing facilities has increased from 62 in 1990 to 817 in 2017. Consumer interest in having access to a variety of alcoholic beverages has fuelled the growth of new products and, as a result, there has been a proliferation of new domestic and imported offerings.

Objectives

The FDR are amended to modernize the compositional standards for beer and ale, stout, porter and malt liquor by

• (1) reducing duplication by having one compositional standard for all types of beers regardless of style, and one source of information for food additives relating to beer;
• (2) allowing for the use of new ingredients and flavouring preparations to enable innovation and better reflect market developments;
• (3) maintaining the integrity of beer by setting a maximum level of residual sugar; and
• (4) clarifying existing requirements to reduce inconsistencies.

Other labelling amendments apply to provisions of the FDR to protect the health of Canadians by providing them with the necessary information on the label with respect to food allergen sources, gluten sources and added sulphites to make informed purchasing decisions. These labelling amendments apply to all beer sold in Canada, including intra-provincial sales.