Archive for category Technical/Legislation
Beware of the style-jackers
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation on September 4, 2009
The notion that you can place a trademark on a beer style is nonsensical — especially if the brewery in question didn’t invent the style in the first place.
But it’s happened in New Zealand and it could have implications in Britain and the rest of Europe, as Heineken is the major player in the brewery in question.
One of the leading brewing groups in New Zealand is DB. It was previously known as Dominion Breweries, but that name doesn’t fit in modern times, especially as DB is now owned by Asia Pacific Breweries based in Singapore. Heineken is the majority shareholder in Asia Pacific.
One of DB’s subsidiaries, Monteith’s, specialises in producing beers that capitalise on European styles and traditions. It brews a bock, a strong German-style lager. In recent years it has added an Austrian and German style called radler as well as saison, based on a famous Belgian beer style.
Nothing wrong there, you might think: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But DB and Monteith’s have slapped trademarks on Radler and Saison. This means that a smaller Kiwi brewery can no longer call its beer “radler” while Belgian brewers of saison can’t export their brands to New Zealand.
To see the full story go to: http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/84300
By Roger Protz
Siba and BRI launch brewers helpline
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation, member benefits on August 11, 2009
Don Burgess, Technical Director of SIBA has worked with Gordon Jackson of Campden BRI to develop an online helpline for small brewers which will be launching on 1 Sept 2009.
The aim of the helpline is to put professional technical advice and support at the keyboard of every SIBA member. BRI will publish a helpline email address for Siba members who can then ask their questions online, the answer will come one of BRIs research departments.
If the enquiry should need further in depth investigation, then there will be a charge payable by arrangement between the brewer and BRI. It is hoped that as the service develops, a brewers “FAQ”[Frequently Asked Questions] can be developed so that the answers to some of the more common problems identified can have a ready answer available on the internet and technical articles published in the Siba journal where it is felt that it would be useful to the membership in general.
The web based contact and help system will be reviewed regularly by SIBA and BRI to ensure that the SIBA membership is receiving the best value for money and suitably targeted advice. It is hoped by Don and Gordon to be the start of greater communication between SIBA and one of the leading brewing technical centres of excellence in the UK, and from this small beginning greater benefits to SIBA members for technical development of their businesses and their beers will result.
Contacts for further information:
Don Burgess,
SIBA,
07768 296 360
gastronaut2001@yahoo.co.uk
Gordon Jackson,
Campden BRI
Coopers Hill Road
Nutfield
Surrey
RH1 4HY
United Kingdom
G.Jackson@bri-advantage.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1737 822 272 (Reception)
Tel: +44 (0) 1737 824 255 (Direct dial)
Need barcodes for your bottles?
Posted by admin in Marketing, Technical/Legislation on December 16, 2008
Go to http://www.gs1uk.org/
Common Duty Calculation
Posted by admin in SIBA documents, Technical/Legislation, political on December 15, 2008
Update 21st April 2009
Dear All
Common calculation method for duty on alcoholic beverages
In my update of 10 December 2008, I advised you that HMRC intended to legislate for the common calculation method to remove any uncertainty that might be caused by misinterpreting the existing law. However, lawyers have now reflected further on this proposal and concluded that any new legislation would merely restate provisions that already exist in law and so would be superfluous and unnecessary.
Therefore, we will not now be introducing the common calculation method through regulations. The provisions in section 137(3) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 allow HMRC to specify that the volume of alcohol must be calculated to a minimum of 4 decimal places.
We will update the relevant public notices in due course.
The implementation date for the common calculation method remains 1 June 2009.
Yours sincerely
Paul Manson
……………………………
Dear All
Calculation of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages – update on the introduction of the common calculation method
Please find an update to the information paper of 8 August which set out the requirements of the common calculation method.
1. Alternative methods of calculation
As previously notified, under the common calculation method, any constituent stage in the excise duty calculation process is to be worked out to a minimum of 4 decimal places.
However, in order to keep business system changes to a minimum, alternative methodologies for duty calculation will be permitted, providing they do not produce any less duty than would be the case under the requirement for 4 decimal places.
Examples of permissible alternative methodologies include where a system:
· rounds up to, say, 2 decimal places, or
· rounds up and rounds down to, say, 2 decimal places (e.g. 10.237 is recorded as 10.24 and 10.234 is recorded as 10.23) but does not produce any less duty than would be the case under the requirement for a minimum of 4 decimal places.
A system that truncates (rounds down) to 2 decimal places throughout the duty calculation process would not be acceptable, as it would result in less duty than the 4 decimal place calculation.
It will be for individual businesses to decide if their duty calculation system meets the requirements for an acceptable alternative methodology.
If a business adopts an alternative methodology that actually produces less duty than would be the case under the requirement for a minimum 4 decimal places, the business would be required to introduce an acceptable method and may be liable to a civil penalty. Additionally, HMRC would call for the duty underpaid as a result of adopting an unacceptable methodology.
2. Providing a legislative basis for the common calculation method
We are legislating to provide for the level at which the duty calculation is performed in order to avoid any uncertainty that may be caused by misinterpretation of current law.
We intend to circulate the draft legislation for comment once it becomes available.
3. Revised date of implementation
We expect all businesses to be calculating duty using an acceptable method described above by 1 June 2009 at the latest.
4. Calculation at container level
The duty calculation is based on the total volume of alcohol removed to home use and not on the duty due per container.
For example, if you remove a total of 1500 kegs of beer to home use during an accounting period, the duty calculation will have to be based on the total hectolitres % of beer in those 1500 kegs and not the duty due on 1 keg, multiplied by 1500.
Similarly, if you remove a total of 800 cases of vodka to home use, each containing 12 bottles, the duty calculation will have to be based on the total litres of alcohol contained in those 800 cases and not the duty due on 1 bottle x 12 x 800, or the duty due on 1 case x 800.
5. Extent of the application of the common calculation methodology
Although we have considered extending the calculation methodology to duty suspended removals, it need only apply to the calculation of excise duty.
6. Impact Assessment
Further to comments from some alcohol trade associations, we will shortly be approaching individual businesses to ask for details of the likely impact on them of the common calculation method. This will inform us whether a formal Impact Assessment will have to be published.
7. Providing an update to individual businesses
We will be writing to individual businesses shortly with an update on the implementation of the common calculation method.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards
Paul Manson
The New Duty Rate – info for SIBA members
Posted by admin in SIBA documents, Technical/Legislation, political on December 14, 2008
| 25 November 2008 at 09:59 |
| From 1 Dec the new duty rate is £16.15 per hectolitre %. Small Brewers Relief remains the same at 50%. The detail on the exact changes to the alcohol duty rates can be found in Press Notice 2, a link to which is below. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/prebud_pbr08_press02.htm For more help or advice from other brewers or SIBA please go to the forum. |
New Online Tool for Environmental Awareness
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation on December 13, 2008
| 10 September 2008 at 15:48 |
| Netregs.gov.uk has launched a free online guidance tool on waste issues, in response to research that revealed fewer than a third (31 per cent) of small and medium-sized businesses in the food and drink manufacturing industry are able to name one piece of environmental law without being prompted*.
The Food and Drink Learning Tool (www.netregs.gov.uk/training) has been developed with the specific needs of food and drink manufacturers and processors in mind. It includes six straightforward learning modules to help the user fully understand the different aspects of managing their waste and what they should be doing to comply with the laws that specifically apply to them. These modules include storing waste, transporting waste, waste disposal, reusing or recovering waste, hazardous waste and animal by-products. Helen Eyles, Customer Services & Carrier Despatch at drinks merchant Vintage Roots is responsible for overseeing the company’s waste management strategy and has been involved in the pilot testing of the tool. She believes that it will make information on regulations simpler businesses in the industry to understand: “As a company that both receives and generates waste, it is extremely important for us to understand the most efficient ways to process this and also keep up-to-date about changes to environmental legislation which may affect us. She adds, “The NetRegs tool is very easy to use and clearly separates out all the different aspects of managing waste. It gave me the reassurance that we are complying with the appropriate legislations and has expanded my knowledge in particular areas, such as transporting waste.” The food and drink sector is the second highest producer of waste in the England and Wales, generating 3 million tonnes of waste in 2007**, and has specific responsibilities under a range of waste regulations. Several changes have been implemented over the last 12 months to tighten up waste controls in this sector, and businesses not aware of these changes could face prosecution for non-compliance. Richard Martin, Programme Manager at NetRegs said: “We understand how difficult it is for small businesses to keep on top of changing regulations. The food and drink sector is subject to a range of laws, from waste disposal to use of packaging and water resources – but understanding these needn’t cost time and money. The new Food and Drink Learning Tool provides a very user friendly, one-stop-shop to help businesses condense all the information surrounding waste management.” This is the second online guidance tool NetRegs has launched to help guide small and medium-sized businesses through their responsibilities within environmental legislation. The first one was developed for the agricultural industry in March 2008 to provide a one-stop-shop for farmers on waste compliance issues. |
Guide to Brewing Technologies
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation on December 12, 2008
| 08 September 2008 at 11:55 |
| I enclose details of our best selling guide to Brewing Technologies. This report: - Summarises the major recent technological changes in brewing - Reviews improvements in ingredients including cereals, malts and hops - Discusses developments in fermentation, filtration and packaging technologies - Analyses advances in safety and quality control - Written by an international team of contributors Brewing continues to be one of the most competitive and innovative sectors in the food and drink industry. This important book summarises the major recent technological changes in brewing and their impact on product range and quality. The first group of chapters review improvements in ingredients, including cereals, adjuncts, malt and hops, as well as ways of optimising the use of water. The following sequence of chapters discuss developments in particular technologies from fermentation and accelerated processing to filtration and stabilisation processes as well as packaging. A final series of chapters analyse improvements in safety and quality control, covering such topics as modern brewery sanitation, waste handling, quality assurance schemes, and control systems responsible for chemical, microbiological and sensory analysis. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Brewing: New Technologies will be a standard reference for R&D and Quality Assurance managers in the brewing industry. For more information please click on: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/14b957/brewing_new_technologies Title Index: New brewing technologies: setting the scene Providing cereals for brewing Developments in the supply of adjunct materials for brewing Malt and malt products The breeding of hops The processing of hops Yeast genetics in brewing: new insights and opportunities Yeast supply and propagation in brewing Water in brewing The brewhouse Fermentation of beer Accelerated processing of beer Filtration and stabilization of beer Packaging of beer Modern brewery sanitation Waste handling in the brewing industry Quality assurance in brewing Brewing control systems: chemical analysis Brewing control systems: microbiological analysis Brewing control systems: sensory evaluation The future of brewing Pricing: Hard Copy : EUR 238 Ordering – Three easy ways to place your order: 1] Order online at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/14b957/brewing_new_technologies 2] Order by fax: Print an Order form from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/14b957/brewing_new_technologies and Fax to +353 1 4100 980 3] Order by mail: Print an Order form from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/14b957/brewing_new_technologies and post to Research and Markets Ltd. Guinness Center, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8. Ireland. Thank you for your consideration. Best Regards, Laura Wood
|
Brewing: New technologies
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation on December 12, 2008
| 29 May 2008 at 12:14 |
| I enclose details of our best selling guide to Brewing Technologies.
This report: Brewing continues to be one of the most competitive and innovative sectors in the food and drink industry. This important book summarises the major recent technological changes in brewing and their impact on product range and quality. The first group of chapters review improvements in ingredients, including cereals, adjuncts, malt and hops, as well as ways of optimising the use of water. The following sequence of chapters discuss developments in particular technologies from fermentation and accelerated processing to filtration and stabilisation processes as well as packaging. A final series of chapters analyse improvements in safety and quality control, covering such topics as modern brewery sanitation, waste handling, quality assurance schemes, and control systems responsible for chemical, microbiological and sensory analysis. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Brewing: New Technologies will be a standard reference for R&D and Quality Assurance managers in the brewing industry. For more information please click on: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/4d40a1/brewing_new_technologies Title Index: New brewing technologies: setting the scene Providing cereals for brewing Developments in the supply of adjunct materials for brewing Malt and malt products The breeding of hops The processing of hops Yeast genetics in brewing: new insights and opportunities Yeast supply and propagation in brewing Water in brewing The brewhouse Fermentation of beer Accelerated processing of beer Filtration and stabilization of beer Packaging of beer Modern brewery sanitation Waste handling in the brewing industry Quality assurance in brewing Brewing control systems: chemical analysis Brewing control systems: microbiological analysis Brewing control systems: sensory evaluation The future of brewing Pricing: Hard Copy : EUR 238 Ordering – Three easy ways to place your order: 1] Order online at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/4d40a1/brewing_new_technologies 2] Order by fax: Print an Order form from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/4d40a1/brewing_new_technologies and Fax to +353 1 4100 980 3] Order by mail: Print an Order form from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/4d40a1/brewing_new_technologies and post to Research and Markets Ltd. Guinness Center, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8. Ireland. Thank you for your consideration. Best Regards, Laura Wood |
Drinks Labelling
Posted by admin in Technical/Legislation on December 12, 2008
| 04 February 2008 at 21:59 |
| 1. The Government indicated that, by the end of 2008, it envisages that the majority of alcoholic drinks labels will include the following elements:
The drink’s unit content. 2. NEW ALCOHOL MARKETING RESTRICTIONS APPLY The latest edition of the Portman Group’s Code containing two new alcohol marketing rules has come into effect. The first is that alcohol branding must not appear on children’s replica sports shirts under sponsorship agreements signed after 1 January 2008. The other new rule prevents producers from using their marketing to urge consumers to drink rapidly or down their drinks in one. The changes appear in the 4th edition of the Portman Group’s Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks. The new rules were first announced last summer with companies given six months to adjust their marketing accordingly. The fourth edition of the Code of Practice can be viewed at www.portmangroup.org.uk The Portman Group’s Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks applies to pre-packaged alcoholic drinks and the promotional activities of drinks producers. The Code covers a drink’s name and packaging, press releases, websites, sponsorship, sampling, branded merchandise, advertorials and all other promotional material. It does not apply to alcohol advertising which is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. The Code also prohibits the marketing of alcoholic drinks to under-18s; the alcohol content of a drink must be made absolutely clear; its alcoholic strength should not be dominant; there must be no association with illegal drugs, bravado, aggression or anti-social behaviour and any suggestion that the drink will lead to sexual success or increased popularity are also banned. For more information call the Portman Group on 020 7907 3700 |
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