,"Viet Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has released a new draft national technical regulation outlining maximum safety limits and management requirements for food alcohol used in alcoholic beverage production. The regulation applies to all organizations and individuals engaged in manufacturing, trading, or importing alcoholic beverages in Viet Nam. It introduces detailed chemical, microbiological, and heavy metal limits, along with labelling standards and compliance obligations.
Several limits are set for finished alcoholic products depending on the category. Beer is restricted to a maximum diacetyl content of 0.2 mg/L. Wine products must meet methanol limits of 400 mg/L for red wines and 250 mg/L for white and rosé wines, along with defined sulfur dioxide limits ranging from 150 to 250 mg/L depending on sugar content. Sparkling wines must maintain sulfur dioxide levels below 185–235 mg/L. Strict methanol limits apply across spirit categories, ranging from 50 mg/L for London gin to as high as 13,500 mg/L for certain fruit-based spirits. Additional controls include patulin limits of 50 µg/L for cider and similar fermented apple beverages.
Heavy metal limits are also codified, with lead capped at 0.2 mg/L for wine and sparkling wine, and tin limited to 150 mg/L for products packaged in tin-coated containers. Microbiological standards focus primarily on draft beer, requiring total aerobic microorganisms to be ≤1000 CFU/mL, and mandating the absence (<1 CFU/mL) of E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, coliforms, and intestinal enterococci, while keeping total yeasts and molds below 100 CFU/mL. These controls aim to eliminate microbial contamination risks and maintain safety across the supply chain.
The regulation also establishes clear labelling requirements. All alcoholic beverages must comply with national labelling laws and must display the true nature of the product on the principal display panel. Labels must reflect the appropriate category defined in the regulation, such as beer, wine, sparkling wine, distilled spirits, vodka, brandy, gin, or other specified classifications. Imported and domestically produced alcoholic beverages must also comply with traceability rules through product labels, electronic labels, or digital traceability passports, according to the provisions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Producers and importers must complete a self-declaration of conformity before circulating alcoholic beverages on the Vietnamese market. Any entity involved in the production, distribution, or importation of alcoholic beverages is responsible for ensuring full compliance with the technical requirements and food safety standards outlined in the draft regulation
The draft regulation specifies strict quality requirements for food-grade ethanol used in beverage production. Ethanol must contain at least 96% alcohol by volume at 20°C and meet purity limits, including maximum ester content of 13 mg/L, aldehydes not exceeding 5 mg/L, higher alcohols capped at 5 mg/L, methanol limited to 300 mg/L, and furfural not exceeding 5 mg/L. These specifications ensure consistency and prevent contamination in alcoholic beverage formulations."
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