Ottawa, ON, Canada: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is seeking input from stakeholders and the Canadian public on regulatory amendments related to wine labeling.
The regulatory amendments will allow wine manufacturers to display mandatory labeling information on any part of the surface of the wine container, excluding its top and bottom, provided that it can all be seen without having to turn the container.
The amendments will help Canada harmonize its wine labeling rules with other wine producing trading partners and facilitate international trade in wine. Wine exporters will be able to sell wine to trade partners without having to redesign their labels for each individual market.
As well, the CFIA is proposing to develop an internationally recognized standard for ice-wine which will help Canadian consumers by preventing the sale of fraudulent ice-wine. This standard would require ice-wine to be made only from grapes naturally frozen on the vine.
The CFIA is conducting a 30-day consultation prior to posting the amendments in Canada Gazette I to help ensure that all major issues have been addressed in the proposed regulatory amendments.
The consultation is available on the CFIA website and open for comments until February 14, 2012.
