Liquor Products Act: Amendments to include ale published
Tuesday, 12 June, 2012
Cluver Markotter Inc
The long awaited amendments to the Liquor Products Act to close the loop
hole which allows for the production and sale of fermented liquor
products sold as "ale" has been published in the Government Gazette.
According to Danie Cronjé, the Director of Liquor Law Services at Cluver Markotter Incorporated interested parties now have 60 days in which to comment on the proposed amendments.
These include definitions for beer, contemporary beer and traditional African beer.
It also contains a definition for an "other fermented beverage" which is intended to cover cheap liquor currently sold as "ale".
According to the definition these beverages may not have an alcohol content of more than 6%.
The manner in which the products may be produced and from which substances it may be produced are also prescribed.
Once the amendments have been approved no one shall be allowed to sell or produce a product with more than 0.5% alcohol unless it complies with the requirements for one of the classes of liquor products listed in the Act.
The amendments will also mean that a powder which, combined with another substance or liquid, will have an alcohol content of more than 0.5% will be considered a liquor product.
A liquor licence will therefore be required for the production and sale thereof.
The threshold of alcohol which determines whether a product is considered liquor will also be lowered from 1 to 0.5%.
According to Cronje this may affect the sale of certain low alcohol beers or beer shandy's which had been sold without liquor licences to date.