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CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ)
“The Heritage”, 35 Pine Road
Belleville, St Michael
Barbados BB11113
T: 246.437.6146 | F: 246.437.4569
Website: http://www.crosq.org
© CRS 2008 – All rights reserved
Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission.
CRS 41: 2008 – Amendment 1
CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ)
“The Heritage”, 35 Pine Road
Belleville, St Michael
Barbados, BB11113
T: 246.437.6146 | F: 246.437.4569
Website: http://www.crosq.org
© CRS 2008 – All rights reserved
ISBN 978-976-95187-1-1
ICS 67.160.10
| AMENDMENT NO. | DATE OF ISSUE | TEXT AFFECTED |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 2009 | Clause 5 |
ATTACHMENT PAGE FOR CRS AMENDMENT SHEETS
CRS: Specification for Brewery Products (Beer, Stout, Shandy, Malta) Amendments issued since last publication in 2003
| Amendment no. | Date of issue | Type of amendment | No. of text affected | Text of amendment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008 | Addendum | Clause 5, page 9 | The following processing aids are added to the existing list in 5.1: Isinglass Perlite Sodium alginate Tannic acid Tannin |
Explanatory note:
This addendum is being made in response to comments submitted by the European Community (EC), in response to WTO Notification G/TBT/N/BRB/5, and the EC’s request for the inclusion of additional processing aids. The EC pointed out that the positive list of processing aids in the current CARICOM Standard for Brewery Products Specifications covering filter aids and clarifying agents is rather restrictive compared to practices and/or national regulations in other Members of the Agreement.
The list was also found to be too restrictive compared to the inventory of processing aids as laid down by the Codex Alimentarius.
The EC requested, at least, the following additions to the positive list of permitted clarifying/fining aids: isinglass, perlite, sodium alginate, tannic acid and tannin.
iii| Foreword | 1 | |
| 1 | Scope | 2 |
| 2 | Terms and definitions | 2 |
| 3 | Classification of brewery products | 5 |
| 4 | Ingredients | 6 |
| 5 | Processing aids | 7 |
| 6 | Health, safety and hygienic requirements in the production of brewery products | 7 |
| 7 | Packaging | 9 |
| 8 | Labelling requirements | 9 |
| 9 | Quality assurance | 10 |
| 10 | Sampling | 10 |
| 11 | Approved test procedures | 11 |
| 12 | Weights and measures | 11 |
| Annex A The Average quantity system | 12 | |
| Tables | ||
| Table 1 — Classification of brewery products by alcohol content | 5 | |
| Table 2 — Maximum residue levels for toxic metals | 7 | |
| Table 3 — Acceptance criteria | 10 | |
This standard was originally prepared through the Caribbean Community Secretariat and has been amended through the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ). Reference is made to the Barbados National Standard BNS 179: 2005 on which comments were received from the European Communities.
Beer, stout and other brewery products are produced in many of the countries of the Caribbean Community and trade within the region is increasing. This standard is intended to set levels of quality that are generally acceptable to consumers in the region, meet the requirements of regulatory authorities and enables brewers to compete with products from outside the region.
Presently, brewery products are packed in containers having sizes and quantities which vary from country to country within the region, in accordance with differing legal requirements or established practices. While these differences remain as non-tariff trade barriers it is anticipated that there will be harmonisation in the near future.
This standard is an amended version of the Caribbean Community Standard CCS 0047: 2003 – Specification for Brewery Products.
1This standard specifies requirements for brewery products to be sold or traded in the Caribbean Common Market.
It does not cover beverages sold under common names including the words “beer” and “ale” that are not derived from cereals.
EXAMPLE ginger beer, ginger ale, root beer
For the purposes of this standard, the following shall apply.
the percentage, by volume, of ethyl alcohol at 20 °C, which is contained in the brewery products and which is determined by an approved method
a beverage produced by the alcoholic fermentation by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) of a wort prepared from potable water, malted barley, wheat, or other cereal, with hops, hop pellets, or hop extract, with or without other added ingredients, which has been brewed in such a manner so as to have the aroma, flavour, and other characteristics that are commonly recognised in ale, stout, porter, or malt liquor
a system of weights and measures control for packaged products under which the supplier of packaged products is responsible for ensuring that consumers receive on average, the declared quantity as shown on the label
a beverage produced by the alcoholic fermentation by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) of a wort prepared from potable water, malted barley, wheat or other cereal, sugar, hops, hops pellets, or hops extract, with or without other added ingredients, which has been brewed in such a manner as to have the aroma, flavour, and other characteristics that are commonly recognised in beer
2include beverages derived from cereals that are manufactured and sold under the following common names:
the hop plant (Humulus lupulus)
an extract prepared from hops by a process using carbon dioxide or ethyl alcohol, in accordance with good manufacturing practice
a hop extract made from hops using carbon dioxide or ethyl alcohol from which the alpha-acids have been isolated and isomerised with dilute acid and heat
pellets produced by hammering or milling hops to a fine powder and then running the powder through a high pressure pelletising disc. The pellets are then cooled and vacuum packed. No additives are used in this process
a package whose negative error exceeds twice the tolerable negative error
3a beer produced from wort, fermented by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces carlsbergensis), which has been stored under cold conditions during clarification and maturation, and which has been brewed in such a manner as to have the aroma, flavour, and other characteristics that are commonly recognised in lager beer
a beverage produced by combining wort, sugar, hops, and carbon dioxide, to which yeast flavour, and or other flavours may be added, which has the aroma, flavour, and other characteristics that are commonly recognised in malta
a mixture of milled malted barley, milled malt, milled wheat, or other milled cereal, and potable water, with or without other ingredients or processing aids, which is fermentable
a stout, which includes lactose
the difference between the actual quantity and the nominal declared quantity, given that the actual quantity is less than the nominal declared quantity (refer to Annex A)
the amount of the commodity, which is stated on the label and which any package is expected to contain
packages with negative errors larger than the tolerable negative error (TNE) specified for the declared quantity (refer to Table A.1)
density or specific gravity as it relates to wort and is a measure of the strength of the wort
NOTE The “original”, or “real wort extract”, may be used for calculation of excise or other fiscal charges.
4includes anything in which any food, drug, cosmetic or device is wholly or partly contained, placed or packed
a beverage made by mixing beer or lager beer with a fruit or vegetable juice, or extract or flavour, sugar, carbon dioxide, and potable water
the selling, purchasing, exchanging, consigning, leasing or providing of any commodity, right, facility or service on the basis of measure, and includes the business of providing facilities for measuring as well as the collecting of tolls, duties and taxes on the basis of measurement
a sticker, an imprint or stamp applied to a weighing or measuring device by a Weights and Measures Inspection Authority to indicate that it is fit for use in trade
an extract of malted or un-malted barley with potable water to which may be added one or more of the following:
which is capable of being fermented.
The common name of product listed in Table 1 shall be used to describe brewery products which have percentage alcohol by volume in the ranges set out in Column 2.
| Common name of product | Alcohol by volume (%) |
|---|---|
| Near Beera Non-alcoholic Beer Non-alcoholic Ale Non-alcoholic Stout Non-alcoholic Porter |
0.0 - 0.5 5 |
| Low Alcohol Beera Low Alcohol Ale Low Alcohol Stout Low Alcohol Porter |
More than 0.5 - 1.2 |
| Extra Light Beer Extra Light Ale Extra Light Stout Extra Light Porter |
More than 1.2 - 2.5 |
| Light Beer Light Ale Light Stout Light Porter |
More than 2.5 - 4.0 |
| Beer Ale Stout Porter |
More than 4.0 - 5.5 |
| Strong Beer Strong Ale Strong Stout Strong Porter Malt Liquor |
More than 5.5 - 8.5 |
| Extra Strong Beer Extra Strong Ale Extra Strong Stout Extra Strong Porter Extra Strong Malt Liquor |
More than 8.5 |
| aThese are additional and/or revised common names. | |
Shandy shall be a mixture containing not less than 0.5 % alcohol by volume and not more than 1.2 % alcohol by volume.
Malta shall have no detectable alcoholic content.
The following ingredients may be used in brewery products in accordance with the provisions of the most recent revision of the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives:
The following filter aids and clarifying agents can be used in the brewing industry, i.e. acacia gum, activated carbon, bentonite, calcium silicate, magnesium and aluminium silicate, cellulose, china clay, nylon 66, diatomaceous earth, gelatine, silica gel, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, isinglass, perlite, sodium alginate, tannic acid and tannin.
When tested by methods mentioned in clause 11.2, the concentration of the metals listed in Table 2 shall not exceed the maximum levels specified.
| Toxic metal | Maximum level (mg / kg) |
|---|---|
| Arsenic (As) | 0.20 |
| Copper (Cu) | 1.50 |
| Lead (Pb) | 0.50 |
| Mercury (Hg) | 0.05 |
| Zinc (Zn) | 5.00 |
Brewery products shall be pasteurized or sterilized so as to prevent the growth of micro-organisms that are pathogenic or that may produce spoilage in the product during its expected shelf life.
Cereals used in manufacturing brewery products shall not contain residues of fumigants or other pesticides in concentrations that exceed the maximum acceptable levels set by national legislation or by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Codex Alimentarius Commission, whichever is lower.
Cereals and cereal products used as ingredients shall be free from insects, rodent hairs, and other filth or foreign matter.
Cereals and other ingredients used to manufacture brewery products shall be inspected before use, and any that are found unsuitable in accordance with 6.1.3 and 6.1.4 shall be separated from those selected for processing.
Ingredients shall be stored in conditions of temperature, humidity and ventilation which will prevent deterioration before use.
All water used in manufacturing brewery products and in washing equipment shall be of potable quality, and any steam used in sterilizing or cleaning equipment shall be generated from potable water and be free from chemicals used in boiler water treatment.
A factory or brewery manufacturing brewery products mentioned in this standard shall conform to the requirements of the competent national authority responsible for food safety.
A factory or brewery manufacturing brewery products covered by this standard shall operate a sanitation programme that is acceptable to the competent national authority responsible for food safety.
Processing shall be carried out under a food safety management system, which is based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), as defined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The manufacturer of brewery products shall ensure that all instruments on processing equipment are regularly calibrated and are maintained in good working order.
The manufacturer of brewery products shall maintain records of the processing conditions, calibration checks, and of any test applied to each batch of product and keep such records for at least one year after the date of production. These records shall be available for inspection by the competent national authority responsible for food hygiene or the National Standards Body.
8The materials used for containers and their closures shall not alter the flavour, colour, aroma, or other characteristics of the brewery product, or render it harmful to health.
Retail containers may be made from glass (clear or coloured), metal (aluminium or tinplate) or plastic, of grades that are generally accepted or authorized for use in the brewing industry.
All new glass containers shall be rinsed and or washed with potable water immediately before filling.
All returnable glass containers which have been previously used, shall be cleaned prior to use in such a manner that no viable micro-organisms or detectable chemical residues remain on the surface with which the contents will come into contact.
Metal or plastic containers shall be rinsed and or washed with potable water immediately before filling.
Empty containers shall be inspected visually or otherwise for defects, and defective containers removed from the filling line.
Closures used on containers shall be stored so as to be protected from dust contamination, and shall be inspected before use.
Containers shall be filled by equipment that is maintained and operated in a clean state, and the mouths of containers on the filling equipment shall not be touched by hand.
Filled and closed containers shall be inspected for leaks, defects, foreign matter, and for the correct level of fill, by visual or other means, and any containers found defective shall be separated and not distributed for sale to the public.
The quantity of a brewery product contained in a closed container shall be in accordance with the legal requirements or common trade practice in the country of sale, and may be stated as the average (nominal declared) quantity.
Brewery products may be distributed or sold in bulk containers that conform to the general requirements above, and are cleaned and filled in accordance with good manufacturing practice.
Containers shall be protected by the use of suitable shipping cases during transport, storage, and handling which will guard against hazards of shock, temperature, or corrosion.
The labelling of retail packages of brewery products shall conform to the requirements of applicable CARICOM Labelling Standards.
9Brewery products should be manufactured under an approved quality assurance programme, which conforms to the general requirements of the most recent version of ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems – Requirements.
Brewery products, which conform to the requirements of this standard and are manufactured as described in clause 9.1, are eligible for a licence to use the CARICOM Standards Mark.
Data derived from tests, which are mandated by law for the computation of excise or import duties, may be utilized in the quality assurance programme.
Where there are several batches of products, which can be identified and separated, each batch shall be treated as a separate lot. Samples shall be taken from each lot to ascertain if they conform to the standard.
Where the packages are packed in cases, such as multipacks containing 6, 12, or 24 retail packages, a case may be treated as a unit for the purpose of sampling.
Samples shall be taken from the lot by random selection using random number tables. If such tables are not available, the retail packages or cases shall be counted in a systematic manner, “1, 2, 3, …r”. The r th unit shall be taken as a sample, where r = N/n, or the integral part of N/n, and N is the number of units in the lot, and n the units to be sampled, in accordance with Table 3. One retail package shall be taken from each case so selected.
| Number of units in lot (N) | Number of units in sample (n) | Acceptance number | Rejection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 50 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 51 to 500 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| 501 to 3200 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| 3201 and over | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| NOTE Table 3 applies to the testing of parameters other than the quantity of fill. | |||
The quantity of brewery products needed for testing will depend on the number of tests to be done. Where acceptable, tests may be performed on a composite sample made by mixing equal quantities taken from each unit.
Composite samples shall be prepared in a clean, dry sampling container that will not affect the characteristics of the product.
10All samples shall be marked for identification and kept under conditions that will not affect the product, until required for testing.
When testing for “quantity of fill” or “net contents”, samples shall be taken as set out in Table 3. The net contents in each package taken in the sample shall be measured and the average net contents determined. The lot shall be rejected if the average net content is less than the declared net contents, or if more than 2.5 % of the packages sampled are nonstandard packages (refer to Annex A).
Each bulk package shall be treated as a batch or lot for purposes of sampling.
Alcohol content, Specific Gravity Method ; AOAC 935.21, VOL 11, 17th. Edition
Alcohol content, Pycnometer Method; AOAC 935 30B (i), VOL 11, 17th Edition
Alcoholic content, Gas Chromatographic Method; AOAC 984.14, VOL II, 17th Edition.
The Methods of Analyses contained in the 17th Edition (2000) Vol. II, published by the Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC), shall be used for analysis of toxic elements mentioned in Table 2 (sub-clause 5.1.1.) and for tests of other characteristics such as:
which were developed in collaboration with the American Society of Brewery Chemists.
Calibration and certification of weighing and measuring devices, used in the production of brewery products, shall comply with the requirements set out in national legislation.
11(normative)
The declared quantity of a package shall accurately reflect the quantity being supplied, so that the average net contents of the packages in a lot (production run) may not be less than the declared quantity.
No more than 2.5 % of the packages in a lot (production run) shall have negative errors more than the prescribed tolerable negative error.
No packages shall have a negative error which exceeds twice the prescribed tolerable negative error.
| Nominal quantity (Qn) (g or ml) | Tolerable negative error (TNE) | |
|---|---|---|
| as % of Qn | g or ml | |
| 5 - 50 | 9 | - |
| 50 - 100 | - | 4.5 |
| 100 - 200 | 4.5 | - |
| 200 - 300 | - | 9 |
| 300 - 500 | 3 | - |
| 500 - 1 000 | - | 15 |
| 1 000 - 10 000 | 1.5 | - |
| 10 000 - 15 000 | - | 150 |
| above 15 000 | 1 | - |
| NOTE 1 TNEs shown as percentages should be rounded up to the nearest 1/10 g or ml above when calculated in units of weight or volume | ||
| NOTE 2 Extracted from OIML R87 | ||
The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) was created as an Inter-Governmental Organisation by the signing of an agreement among fourteen Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CROSQ is the regional centre for promoting efficiency and competitive production in goods and services, through the process of standardization and the verification of quality. It is the successor to the Caribbean Common Market Standards Council (CCMSC), and supports the CARICOM mandate in the expansion of intra-regional and extra-regional trade in goods and services.
CROSQ is mandated to represent the interest of the region in international and hemispheric standards work, to promote the harmonization of metrology systems and standards, and to increase the pace of development of regional standards for the sustainable production of goods and services in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and the enhancement of social and economic development.
CROSQ VISION:
The premier CARICOM organisation for the development and promotion of an Internationally Recognised Regional Quality Infrastructure; and for international and regional harmonized CARICOM Metrology, Standards, Inspection, Testing and Quality Infrastructure
CROSQ MISSION:
The promotion and development of standards and standards related activities to facilitate international competitiveness and the sustainable production of goods and services within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) for the enhancement of social and economic development
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