Standard
Drink Labelling

In accordance with federal labelling regulations, all beverage alcohol containers must be labelled with net quantity and the alcohol content by volume expressed in percentage terms.

Wine producers interested in voluntarily labelling the number of standard drinks in a container should follow these recommendations:

Advertising and marketing materials/initiatives:

• The number of standard drinks in a container must be rounded to one decimal place¹;
• The format must be “contains / contient: X.X standard drinks / verres standard” or “X.X standard drinks / verres standard”;
• If using a pictogram, it must also include the written statement “contains / contient: X.X standard drinks / verres standard” or “X.X standard drinks / X,X verres standard”;
• The standard drink statement/pictogram must be readily visible to the consumer under the customary conditions of purchase and use as specified in Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations²

Voluntary Labelling System

A series of pre-designed labels that are informative and non-distracting have been designed, allowing wine producers to voluntarily choose their level and type of engagement with the responsible consumption initiative.

Depending on your choice of label, the design engages with the consumer through numerous ways: whether it be by showcasing the amount of standard drinks in the container; raising awareness of The Right Amount responsible consumption initiative; and/or, by directing them to The Right Amount website, where they access can educational materials including an easy to use standard drinks calculator.

The Right Amount pre-designed label system is available in the design resources section.

Design Resources

The QR Code Label

An alternative option to the voluntary labelling of standard drink amounts is the use of a QR Code label design.

Utilizing the QR code engages a consumer experience by directing them to The Right Amount website, where they access an educational interface for information on determining what constitutes a standard drink, while allowing the consumer to calculate the number of standard drinks in the container using the standard drink calculator.

The Right Amount has a pre-designed QR code designs which are available in the design resources section.

Design Resources

1. Canadian Association of Liquor Jurisdictions rules on tolerances for distinguishing between labelled alcohol by volume and actual alcohol by volume also apply to voluntary standard drink labels: wine ±1.0% ABV
2. Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations A.01.016 states that:(a) All information required by these Regulations to appear on a label of a food or drug shall be (a) clearly and prominently displayed on the label; and (b) readily discernible to the purchaser or consumer under the customary condition of purchase and use