certificate of label approval Archives

TTB Publishes Updated Guidelines for Formula Approvals for Domestic Producers and Importers

by T. Marshall Fawley III | Oct 12, 2018 | TTB COLAs and Formulas

On September 18, 2018, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued TTB Industry Guidance 2018-10, a webpage consisting of questions and answers related to formulas. According to TTB, this new guidance “essentially replaces” Industry Circular 2007-4, which provided the framework for pre-COLA product evaluations. TTB has removed Industry Circular 2007-4 from its website.

The release of Industry Guidance 2018-10 comes with troubling implications. TTB has essentially revoked an Industry Circular signed by TTB Administrator John Manfreda and replaced it with a series Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with no clear authorship or authority. Furthermore, they have deleted Industry Circular 2007-4, preventing industry members from reviewing how these FAQs differ or alter the previous method for determining when formulas are required. Indeed, TTB seems to be significantly expanding the types of products that require formula approval. TTB notes in the new FAQs that “there may be circumstances when we will require a formula . . . even though the product does not generally require a formula.” See Industry Guidance 2018-10, FAB4.

TTB has recently required formulas for products, such as particular varieties of mezcal and spirits aged in previously used cooperage, where formulas were not previously required. It appears where no regulatory restrictions on aging (e.g., length of time or type of barrel) exists for a particular type/class of distilled spirits, TTB will more than likely request a formula approval prior to reviewing a Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) application. Some products may not require a formula if the label text only specifies the type of barrel used for aging, i.e., “Aged in used bourbon barrels.” But if the label mentions any attribute the aging provides to the liquid (e.g., “notes of sweet corn” or “hints of charred wood”) then TTB will likely require a formula.

Although TTB previously made strides in increasing speeds in which COLAs and formulas were reviewed, these new requirements will increase the compliance workload and approval timelines for TTB as well as alcohol beverage industry members. In addition to the challenges created by increasing the number of products requiring formulas, more questions are likely to arise under the anonymous FAQs, which replaced the longstanding protocols in Industry Circular 2007-4.

TTB Expands COLA Allowable Revisions

by T. Marshall Fawley III | Apr 3, 2018 | TTB COLAs and Formulas

TTB Industry Circular 2018-2, dated March 26, 2018, expanded the list of allowable revisions for approved Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) applications. The three new allowable revisions are to:

Add, delete, or change between TTB approved responsibility statements;
Add, delete, or change between TTB approved sustainable farming/environmental/eco-friendly claims; and
Add, delete, or change between TTB approved food pairing recommendations.

The Industry Circular also expanded the TTB approved statements under the allowable revision regarding how to best consume or serve the product. For a complete list of approved statements for these new and expanded allowable revisions, please see the full Industry Circular located here.

Ruling in the Asahi Beer Class Action

by McDermott Will & Emery | Nov 13, 2017 | Advertising and Marketing, TTB COLAs and Formulas

Last month the US District Court for the Central District of California issued an order in the Shalikar v. Asahi Beer U.S.A., Inc. false advertising class action case. Like many similar cases, Shalikar alleges that the plaintiffs, as representatives of a purported class of consumers, were deceived into paying more for Asahi beer because they believed the beer was made in Japan when, in fact, the beer sold in the United States was produced in Canada. In the recent order, the court denied Asahi’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim (a 12(b)(6) motion).

The Shalikar plaintiffs brought their case under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law, and False Advertising Law, and also pled common-law claims for breach of implied warranty, fraud, intentional misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. Asahi beer that is sold in the United States is brewed in Canada, and each label states “Brewed and Bottled under Asahi’s Supervision by Molson Canada, Toronto, Canada.” Each label also states “Product of Canada” as required by US customs regulations. Plaintiffs alleged, however, they were deceived into paying more for the product because the labels and packaging use the word “Asahi,” which means “morning sun” in Japanese, and the label and packaging employs Japanese characters in several places. Plaintiffs also produced a survey purporting to show that the beer’s packaging led 86 percent of the respondents to believe that the product was brewed in Japan. (more…)

Environmental Claims in Advertising

by Arthur J. DeCelle | Mar 27, 2017 | Advertising and Marketing, TTB COLAs and Formulas

Arthur DeCelle wrote this bylined article describing how brewers can use product labels, point of sale (POS) advertising, social networks, and other media to tell customers about their environmental responsibility efforts. Such information “must be truthful and substantiated by evidence [and] must not be deceptive to reasonable consumers,” Mr. DeCelle wrote, urging brewers to “carefully consider the language you use and any potential for consumer deception [regarding] false or deceptive environmental claims.”

Read the full article.

Originally published in New Brewer, March/April 2017.

Avoiding Misleading Labeling

by Eleanor B. Atkins and McDermott Will & Emery | Feb 8, 2017 | Advertising and Marketing, TTB COLAs and Formulas

Current conventional wisdom in the craft beer business holds that being local helps sell more beer. This has led many brewers to emphasize their local roots on their labels and in their marketing efforts. In some ways, the trend has a “back to the future” feel, as labels and marketing materials once again feature place names that often became the brand names for many of the first generation of craft brewers in the 1980s.

But the emphasis on place can come with a price: the prospect of legal hurdles, including lawsuits, over allegations that a brand name, label, or advertisement misrepresents the beer’s place of production. Legally this subject usually goes by the name “geographic misdescription,” itself a subset of false advertising law. How can brewers minimize their chances of becoming the target of a lawsuit or government investigation alleging that a beer’s labeling or marketing deceived consumers?

Read the full article, originally published in the January/February 2017 issue of The New Brewer.

Trademark Tips for Small Distillers

by McDermott Will & Emery | Apr 20, 2016 | Advertising and Marketing, TTB COLAs and Formulas

What’s in a name? (Or a slogan, logo, symbol or other source-identifying device?) Well, turns out a lot. While the craft spirits industry is a tight knit and collegial community, businesses must strive to create a unique and distinctive place in the market that makes their products stand out from the rest. For small distillers, who may have leaner advertising budgets than the spirits giants, one effective way to plant your flat in the ground and say “This is who we are, come and join us!” is through trademarks.

A trademark is any word, name, symbol, logo and/or device the identifies the goods and services of one party, and distinguishes such offerings from those of others.

Below we provide some tips and recommendations for small distillers to consider when selecting and protecting trademarks.

Read the full article (originally published in the Spring 2016 issue of Artisan Spirit).

Labeling and Advertising Gluten-Free Beer

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jul 23, 2015 | Advertising and Marketing, Food Safety and FDA, TTB COLAs and Formulas

In the past decade, millions of Americans have converted to gluten-free diets. Originally a practice dictated solely by the medical needs of those who suffer from celiac disease, gluten-free has entered the mainstream. This article will explore the evolving and somewhat uncertain status of labeling and advertising beer as “gluten-free.”

Read the full article, originally published in the July/August 2015 issue of The New Brewer.

Hard Cider for Brewers

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jul 15, 2014 | Advertising and Marketing, Distribution, Food Safety and FDA, TTB COLAs and Formulas

Hard cider has shown phenomenal growth in the past several years. With rising consumer demand, more and more craft brewers are entering this rapidly expanding market. Although hard cider is typically distributed and marketed like a beer product, the federal government and most states actually tax and regulate cider as a type of wine. Brewers contemplating the production of cider accordingly must carefully consider the legal issues surrounding cider production and distribution that distinguish cider from beer. This article outlines some of the most important (though certainly not all) of these issues.

This article was originally published in the May/June 2014 issue of The New Brewer.

BLOG EDITORS

STAY CONNECTED

TOPICS

ARCHIVES

RECENT POSTS