New regulations for alcoholic beverages

If you plan to import or export alcoholic beverages in Mexico, avoid sanctions by taking into account the new regulations that the Government of Mexico has introduced for the labelling, trade names, and hygienic handling of alcoholic beverages.

On 30 October 2017,  the Official Federal Gazette published the Mexican Official Standards NOM-199-SCFI-2017, which highlights the need to include a description of physiochemical specifications, commercial information, and testing procedures when naming alcoholic beverages

This new official regulation takes the following standards as reference:

• NOM-251-SSA1-2009: establishes the minimum requirements that should be observed when processing beverages with respect to good hygiene practices
• NOM-142-SSA1/SCFI-2014: makes reference to the beverage container and commercial information.

What the new standards for alcoholic beverages regulate

These are mandatory and apply to all produced, packaged, or imported alcoholic beverages, for commercialization in Mexico.  The following are the main points covered by these regulations:

1. Hygienic handling controls higiénico

Producers and packagers must:

• Maintain control systems in accordance with Official Mexican Standards NOM-251-SSA1-2009, which regulate hygiene practices for food, beverage, and food supplement processing.
• Comply with all procedures and give an adequate use to equipment and machinery, with the aim of assuring observance of quality control processes

2. Containers and packaging

To guarantee the safety of alcoholic beverage containers, you must comply with Mexican Official Standards NOM-142-SSA1/SCFI-2014:

• The capacity of each container for end-consumer sale must not exceed 5 litres.
• Bottles must have a tracking code.

3. Commercial information

All containers must comprise the following:

• A legible label in Spanish that shows the product characteristics that consumers need to know to acquire this type of products. In addition, they must comply with the provisions stipulated in Chapter 9 of Mexican Official Standards NOM-142-SSA1 / SCFI-2014, which refer to sanitary and commercial labeling of alcoholic beverages.
• The appellation of origin category will be set in accordance with the Agreement between the European Community and the United Mexican States on the mutual recognition and protection of designations for spirit drinks (1997), its original language.
• In the case of imported wines or spirits with an appellation of origin that is not regulated by this standard, regulations set forth in international treaties will apply, or  when necessary, those specifications set forth in international regulations or in the standards or technical regulations  from their country of origin, as long as Mexican Official Standards  NOM-142-SSA1/SCFI-2014 health requirements are complied with.
• In addition to complying with labelling requirements, you must include the following:
  – Trade mark on the main surface.
  – Name and type of alcoholic beverage, which should not exceed the length of the Brand.
  –Raw materials as commercial information on the main presentation surface of the alcoholic beverage (one third the length of its name, as applicable).

These regulations will entry into force 60 days after publication, except for the information described in Chapter 10 (Commercial Information), which will entry into force in a period of 2 years.