Non-alcoholic beer does not exist, Ministry reminds

“The importers should know that by its legal definition, any beer is equivalent to liquor, even with 0.001 per cent of alcohol. Some importers have also been ordered to not import products under the appellation of “beer” for beverages having more than 9 percent of alcohol,” said an officer of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life.

He added that these importers are required to have new labels specifying the type of imported goods.

According to him, these importers will therefore have to pay a fee for any product having more than 9 per cent of alcohol at their next cargo and will have to pay five times more than the Excise Duty or Rs 126 per bottle.

To recall, the excise duty is now Rs 22.85 per bottle for importing beer. “We can no longer fool people by saying that beer is alcohol free. It is a misnomer,” said the officer.

The Ministry of Health has decided to ask the importers to change the name of these products and to mention that it is indeed beer, as indicated by the legislation.
According to sources, some importers’ last shipment of non-alcoholic beer has been blocked by the officers of the Ministry of Health.

They acted under the strict instructions of the State Law Office that had advised them to apply the law governing the importation of alcoholic beverages.

The officer said that these changes are necessary. “At the Ministry of Health, we are responsible for health protection, improvement and health inequality issues in Mauritius. This is a public health issue and there may be serious consequences if people consume this type of beer thinking that it is really alcohol free. They may develop health problems later,” he said.

“Therefore, it is better that it is indicated that even though the percentage of alcohol is very minimal, it is still beer,” he added.