Taipei, June 6 (CNA) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that vinegars with added ingredients will have to be clearly labeled starting in July 2018 based on the ingredients it uses and its production process.
Lin Hsu-yang, an FDA senior specialist, said the government has been campaigning to give popular seasonings proper names, and vinegar used for cooking is the campaign's latest target.
He said traditional brewed vinegar can only be produced through the fermentation of natural grains or fruits, but products that add other ingredients, including some that are not natural, also pass themselves off today as traditional vinegar.
To help consumers differentiate between vinegars, traditional vinegars that do not contain any added seasonings can continue to label themselves as "brewed" vinegars, Lin said, while the new regulations will require vinegars with added ingredients to use one of two new labels.
Vinegars made from naturally fermented vinegars that add seasonings but do not contain "acidulants" -- chemical additives to increase acidity -- will be labeled "blended" vinegar, according to the new regulations.
Vinegars made from diluted acetic acid or glacial acetic acid liquid that are then mixed with sugar, seasonings, salt, or brewed vinegar shall be called "artificial" vinegar, the new regulations say.
Lin said vinegar produced after July 2018 has to conform to the new regulations.
Companies that do not properly label vinegars with multiple ingredients as either a "blended" or "artificial" vinegar will be subject to a fine of between NT$30,000 (US$998) and NT$3 million.
