2. Product Categories

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Beers, RTDs, and Whisky
Taiwan

This section provides the regulatory definition of the food category in scope, or the appropriate food category for the product in scope. Additionally, it provides the food products that belong to this food category along with the definition and specific information on each of these types of food products.

2.1 Category Name & Definition

General Food

Goods provided to people for eating, drinking, or chewing, and the raw materials of such goods [1].

Category Name

Edible Alcohol

It refers to aqueous undenatured alcohol with an alcohol content of more than 95% (v/v), which uses grains, potato, molasses, sugar beet, honey, fruits, or other edible crops as ingredients, produced through fermentation and distillation. (CNS 15351 Edible alcohol) [2].

Alcoholic Beverages

“Alcohol" as referred to in the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act [3] means beverages having an alcohol content by volume of more than 0.5 percent, and undenatured ethyl alcohol and other ethyl products that can be used for the production or preparation of the above-mentioned beverages. Alcohol, which is regarded as medicine in accordance with the laws or regulations of the central health authority, shall be exempt from administration as "alcohol" under the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act.

The term "alcohol content," as used in this Act, means the percentage of ethyl alcohol contained in the entire volume (of a specific beverage) at a temperature of 20 degrees as measured with a Celsius thermometer.

2.2 Product & Definition

Beer, RTDs, and Whisky

Definition

These products are regarded as “Alcohol" in the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act since they contain more than 0.5% alcohol.

Article 3 of the Enforcement Rules of the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act [5] provides the following definitions:

Beer: Saccharized and fermented carbonated alcoholic beverages brewed from malt and hops as primary raw materials, with or without other grains or starch as supplementary raw materials; complementary plant ingredients may or may not be added.
Whisky: Distilled spirits made from grain by saccharification, fermentation, distillation and maturation in wooded casks for at least two years, with an alcohol content of not less than 40 percent.

For ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage such as Chuhai, there is no specific legal definition. Refer to details in Article 3 [5] for other definitions that may apply such as for distilled spirits, beverages brewed from grains, etc.

Specifications/Target Age

Sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited for children aged below 18 [4].