In a bid to address the developing worries surrounding the consumption of high-alcohol content material liquids, the Ministry of Commerce, Transport, Industry, and Tourism in Burundi has added a chain of measures geared towards regulating those alcoholic products. The new policies, set to take effect from January 1, 2024, are seeking for to curtail the accessibility of alcoholic drinks with an alcohol content cloth exceeding 16%. According to the ministry, these measures are designed to shield each individual and socio-monetary well-being.
Recent instances have witnessed an growth inside the manufacturing of strongly alcoholic beverages, often surpassing the sixteen% alcohol content material threshold. The negative health results and societal outcomes related to excessive alcohol consumption are nicely-documented, stated the ministry. Therefore, the government has taken steps to deal with this problem.
Effective from the start of 2024, here are the key measures introduced:
1. Bottling Requirements: Alcoholic drinks with an alcohol content material exceeding sixteen% want to be packaged in glass bottles with a minimum capability of 750 ml. This trade interests to make certain that these amazing drinks aren't with out difficulty reachable in smaller, trendy-sized packing containers.
2. Restricted Sales: It is strictly prohibited to serve high-alcohol content drinks exceeding sixteen% in preferred-sized glasses, except in bars and restaurants categorised as Class B and Class C institutions.
3. Enforcement and Consequences: Alcoholic liquids with an alcohol content material exceeding sixteen% that aren't packaged in the prescribed glass bottles will be problem to removal and destruction from the neighborhood market.
The Ministry has additionally emphasised that non-compliance with those policies will result in administrative sanctions, which includes the revocation of licenses for bars and restaurants, production and marketing certificate for alcoholic beverages, and the rejection and destruction of imports with alcohol content exceeding 16%.
The number one objective of those measures is to reduce the accessibility of high-alcohol content liquids, provide higher regulation inside the transformation enterprise, and defend consumers from the potential dangers related to immoderate alcohol consumption.
The Minister of Commerce, Transport, Industry, and Tourism, Hon. Marie Chantal NIJÍMBERE, signed off on these measures and the Ministry has counseled the general public to stick to these rules and underscored the importance of responsible alcohol intake for the betterment of society.
