G/TBT/N/CAN/574  
 
3 January 2019  
(19-0004) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English/French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: CANADA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Department of Health  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Canada's Notification Authority and Enquiry Point  
Global Affairs Canada  
Technical Barriers and Regulations Division  
111 Sussex Drive  
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2  
Canada  
Telephone: (343)203 -4273 
Fax: (613)943 -0346 
Email: enquirypoint@international.gc.ca   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  ], 2.10.1 [X], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS  numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Alcoholic 
beverages (ICS Codes: 67.160.10)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Regulations 
Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Flavoured Purified Alcohol) (36 pag es available 
in English and French)   
6. Description of content: The proposed regulations would amend the Food and Drug 
Regulations  (FDR) to restrict the alcohol content in single -serve containers of flavoured 
purified alcoholic beverages to protect Canadians from unintentional overconsumption of 
alcohol. These products are processed such that they do not taste like alcohol and are 
sold with multiple servings of alcohol in what appears to be a single -serve container.  
The proposed amendments would define a new class of product, "flavoured purified 
alcohol ", comprising all beverages: (1) that are made from an alcohol base which has 
been purified through a process other than distillation; and (2) that have been flavoured 
and/or sweetened with the end result being a beverage that tastes like the added flavours 
and not like alcohol.  
The alcohol content of beverages meeting this new definitio n would be limited to a 
maximum of 1.5 standard Canadian drinks when they are packaged in containers of any 
type of a volume of 1000 mL or less. As defined in Canada's Low Risk Drinking Guidelines, 
1.5 standard drinks is equal to 25.6 mL of alcohol). An ex emption is proposed for 
flavoured purified alcoholic beverages packaged in glass containers of a volume of 750  mL 
or higher, which is a recognized multi -serve beverage format in Canada.  G/TBT/N/CAN/574  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: The objective of the proposed amendments to the FDR is to reduce the health 
and safety risks associated with unintentional overconsumption and acute alcohol 
poisoning as a r esult of consuming flavoured purified alcoholic beverages, especially 
among Canadian youth.  
Flavoured purified alcoholic beverages are a new and growing class of products in Canada. 
They are formulated, packaged and marketed in a manner that can appeal to a younger, 
more impressionable segment of the drinking population. They are deceptively high in 
alcohol, and some of these products contain as much alcohol as four standard drinks.  
Since late 2017, these products have been implicated in numerous emergency  room 
visits, especially for the 15 -24 age group. They have been implicated in the death of a 
30 year old man in December 2017 and potentially implicated in the death of a 14 year 
old girl in March 2018. Their popularity and sales in Canada appear to be gr owing. Any 
delay in the coming into force of these proposed regulations places the health and safety 
of Canadians at risk.  
8. Relevant documents:   
• Canada Gazette , Part I, 22 December  2018, pages 5118 -5153 (available in English 
and French)  
9. Proposed dat e of adoption: These Regulations would come into force on the day of 
their publication in Canada Gazette, Part II.  
Proposed date of entry into force: There will not be a transition period.  
10. Final date for comments: 5 February 2019  
11. Texts available  from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be downloaded at:  
http://gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2018/2018 -12-22/html/reg6 -eng.html  
http://gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2018/2018 -12-22/html/reg6 -fra.html