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People, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, are often concerned about genetically modified organisms or bioengineering in their food. Given the fervor, does it make sense for suppliers to assume the concern extends to alcoholic beverages and label accordingly? While some manufacturers may want to highlight that their products are “GMO free” or “GM free,” the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) current policy prohibits such labeling. Producers of non-alcoholic beverages have a little more latitude regarding GM labeling: The FDA’s position is that special labeling of bioengineered or genetically modified foods is not required, but manufacturers may voluntarily label their foods with such information. Additional information on the FDA’s position is available here. The TTB tends to be very cautious in allowing new types of information on alcohol labels and often prohibits any reference whatsoever until they have had the opportunity for careful review and can provide guidance in the proper manner of presenting such information. This has been true in the context of organic labeling and with respect to nutritional information (e.g., calories, fat, carbs, etc.). So we can expect that the TTB will weigh in with some direction on how GM-related statements can be offered in the future, but for now, they cannot be used on alcoholic beverage labels. Be sure to keep the TTB’s position in mind before submitting a certificate of label approval with any “GMO” related terms or references.

Ever wonder whether the claim that a wine uses “organic grapes” is really true?  Wine is one area where if such claims make their way onto a wine bottle, they are almost certainly valid, as the TTB and the National Organic Program (“NOP”) maintain extremely strict requirements for organic claims on the label.  The NOP has four primary categories for alcoholic beverages: 1) “100% Organic,” 2) “Organic,” meaning at least 95% organic and with no chemically added sulfites, 3) “Made with Organic [ingredients],” requiring at least 70% organic ingredients and may contain chemically added sulfites, and 4) for certain products that contain less than 70% organic ingredients, the ingredients statement may disclose the organic components.

In order to make any organic claims on a wine bottle or other alcohol label, TTB requires several sources of verification, making for a comprehensive but arduous application process.  Along with the items normally required for label approval, applicants must first provide a Processor’s or Handler’s Operation Certificate, which certifies that the winery uses accepted NOP standards.  Notably, imported wines sometimes have difficulty meeting this requirement because foreign certifications are only sufficient if the foreign entity is also a USDA-Accredited Certifying Agent.  Next, applicants must provide an Accredited Certifying Agent Preview, which indicates that the label has been reviewed and found to be in compliance with TTB rules.  Additionally, applicants may need to provide a crop certificate that certifies that the agricultural produce used in the product were grown to NOP standards.

The TTB also has specific rules for the label itself, including requiring a “certification statement,” which includes the name of the accredited certifying agent.  These requirements must be repeated for each vintage year, as labels for new vintages must be resubmitted for approval.

Notably, despite these strict requirements for organic wine labels, other statements on wine bottles that pertain to farming techniques and other “green” claims are largely unregulated by the TTB.  However, this is a fast-evolving area, so stay tuned.

If you need assistance with organic labels, the attorneys at Strike & Techel are familiar with the process and able to help.

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has updated the Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) form used to apply for label approval.  The application, which is form TTB F 5100.31, now requests information about any grape varietals listed on a proposed wine label.  Additionally, the COLA form has been updated to consolidate items needed for a pre-COLA evaluation, which is required for some products.  The application form now consolidates these requirements into a “formula” field.  The new COLAs online application system will also be updated to reflect these changes, but for the present time, COLAs filed electronically will not be required to include grape varietals.

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

Apparently, the TTB doesn’t agree that “anything goes” in Vegas. Just ask Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Moet Hennessey, Bacardi, Future Brands, and E. & J. Gallo Winery. According to the TTB, these companies allegedly violated the FAA’s tied-house “slotting fee” restrictions. A slotting fee has nothing to do with slot machines (good guess), but instead is anything of value a supplier provides to a retailer in exchange for favorable product placement. The TTB’s allegations included “that the companies collectively furnished nearly $2 million in inducements” with the purpose “to obtain preferential product display and shelf space (also known as slotting fees) at Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos.” In an industry guidance circular released shortly before the announcement of the offers in compromise, the TTB reminded industry members that while providing promotional items etc. to retailers might be legal in some contexts, doing so as an inducement for better product placement was a violation of FAA tied-house laws in general and slotting fee prohibitions specifically (at least  when the elements of interstate commerce, exclusion of other brands, and, in the case of malt beverages, similar state law are present).

Under the terms of the offers in compromise, none of the companies admitted to any wrongdoing and collectively paid out $1.9 million in fines – the largest set of offers in compromise ever accepted by TTB for trade practice violations. Jackpot.

The TTB’s recent guidance on tied-house rules and slotting fees can be found here: http://www.ttb.gov/trade_practices/ttb-g-2011-3-tied-house-guidance.pdf

 The TTB’s announcement and details of the offers in compromise can be found here: http://www.ttb.gov/press/fy11/press-release-fy-11-4-faa-oic.pdf

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

In a bid to streamline the Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) process, the TTB has announced that it will no longer examine COLA applications to determine whether the label images included in the applications meet the applicable type size, characters per inch, and contrasting background requirements. They will continue to review all submitted labels for inclusion of mandatory information and exclusion of the prohibited, but the TTB has asked industry members to self police when it comes to the technical character and background requirements. This does not mean, however, that the requirements can now be ignored. In the circular announcing the new policy, the TTB reserved the right to deny and return applications on type size, etc. grounds when it “deems necessary.” To that effect, the following statement will be included on new approved COLA applications:

QUALIFICATIONS: TTB has not reviewed this label for type size, characters per inch or contrasting background. The responsible industry member must continue to ensure that the mandatory information on the actual labels is displayed in the correct type size, number of characters per inch, and on a contrasting background in accordance with the TTB labeling regulations, 27 CFR parts 4, 5, 7, and 16, as applicable.

The official reason TTB has given for making the change in procedure was to reduce the time wasted in the COLA process due to image distortions in submitted electronic files.  The good news is that the label approval process should be faster with this new policy in place.  But the flip side is that the importers and bottlers submitting COLA applications bear greater responsibility for ensuring the labels are in compliance with the labeling regulations. In addition to reserving the right to reject non-compliant labels, TTB also has the power to revoke COLAs it has previously issued, so non-compliant labels that obtain an approval still could be rejected – even after being applied to bottles.  The associated costs and logistics problems of a COLA revocation make it important to continue to pay close attention to the minutiae when creating new labels.

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

Today the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) launched their Permits Online system, which is available here. The system is a counterpart to the Formulas Online and COLAs Online systems. The Permits Online system allows the application procedure for federal alcohol and tobacco business permits to be completed entirely online. The system allows one to prepare, submit and track applications through the TTB’s online portal, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But as with many technology innovations and advances, there is often a corresponding down side. A few weeks ago, the TTB announced that they are no longer accepting “Expedite Requests” or “Informal Reviews” for certificate of label approvals (COLAs) and formula approvals. The former expedite option allowed for rapid turnaround of approvals that was especially helpful for the industry at large.

With a dramatic increase in approval requests over the years, coupled with shrinking governmental budgets, the TTB decided that all applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, without any expedite availability. Further, the TTB stated that applicants should plan for a full 90-day review period, which does not include any additional time that could be necessary if label or formula changes are requested. The TTB did note that online applications are processed about twice as fast as paper applications, so there is a real incentive to using the online portals. If you have an upcoming formula approval or COLA, be sure to factor in enough time for the TTB’s review given that the expedite option is no longer available. If you have questions about formula or label approvals, please feel free to call any of the attorneys at Strike & Techel.

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

 Only a grape variety name approved by the TTB may be used as a varietal “type” designation for American wine.   The TTB is considering adding more than 50 names to their list of approved varietals to catch up with the explosion of U.S. wines made from obscure grape varietals.  The full list of varietals up for public comments is here.

Some of the proposed varietals are not so obscure (e.g. Blaufränkisch, Carignan, Garnacha, Grenache blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Lagrein, Vermentino), but others are extremely unusual, particularly the submissions from the Minnesota Grape Growers (Louise Swenson, Sabrevois, St. Pepin), which highlighted the cold-weather resiliency of the grapes

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·

Welcome to IMBIBLOG, the blog of Strike & Techel. We are attorneys specializing in the laws and regulations governing alcoholic beverages, also known as liquor law or alcohol law.  Liquor law is a specialized area of legal practice.  Compared to other areas of legal specialization, there are relatively few lawyers specializing in alcoholic beverage law. If you are considering starting a business related to alcohol, you will benefit from working with a competent liquor lawyer.

The team at Strike & Techel is experienced and can serve as your TTB lawyer, ABC lawyer, beer lawyer, wine lawyer or distilled spirits lawyer.  We are familiar with TTB law as well as state ABC law in California and across the country.  Preparing and applying for the necessary alcohol beverage licenses is a big part of the alcohol beverage practice and Strike & Techel is highly experienced with ABC license applications and TTB license applications.  

We are based in San Francisco and are particularly familiar with the alcohol laws and regulations of our city. The attorneys at our firm practice alcoholic beverage law exclusively. This blog is our place to tell you about current issues of interest for those in the business of making, promoting, and selling alcoholic beverages.