The Government of the Republic of Moldova has approved a new Regulation on beer and beer-based beverages through Government Decision No. 225 published in the Official Gazette. The regulation, signed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean and countersigned by Minister of Agriculture and the Food Industry Ludmila Catlabuga, replaces the previous Technical Regulation approved under Government Decision No. 473/2012. Oversight and enforcement of the new regulation is the responsibility of the National Food Safety Agency. Producers who hold existing labels and packaging may continue using them until December 31, 2026, while products already manufactured under those labels may be marketed until stocks run out, but no later than August 31, 2027. The regulation establishes specific rules governing the production, packaging, labelling, and marketing of beer and beer-based beverages, as well as quality and safety requirements. It applies to products falling under specific tariff headings of Moldova's Combined Nomenclature of Goods. The regulation provides precise definitions for all product categories covered. Beer is defined as an alcoholic product obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of beer wort prepared from barley malt, hops and/or hop products, and water, without the addition of ethyl alcohol, flavorings, or additives. Non-alcoholic beer must have an acquired alcoholic strength of no more than 0.5% vol., while low-alcohol beer falls between 0.5% and 1.2% vol. Special beer must contain at least 80% beer in the final product, while beer-based beverages must contain at least 40% beer. The regulation also defines beer wort, malt for brewing, sugar syrups, filtration states, and pasteurization status, as well as measurement conventions such as the EBC color unit and acidity unit.
Product Categories and Classification
The regulation classifies products into four main categories: beer, special beer, grain beer, and beer-based beverages. Beer is further classified by color intensity — blonde beer with up to 31 EBC color units and brown beer exceeding 31 EBC units — as well as by heat treatment (pasteurized or unpasteurized), physical treatment (filtered or unfiltered), and alcoholic strength. Alcohol-free products must not exceed 0.5% vol., low-alcohol products fall between 0.5% and 1.2% vol., medium-alcohol products range from 1.3% to 7.0% vol., and high-alcohol products exceed 7.0% vol. Products are also classified by wort extract content, distinguishing strong beer at 6.0–8.5% and extra-strong beer above 8.5%. By fermentation type, beer may be classified as ale (top fermentation) or lager (bottom fermentation).
The regulation introduces detailed mandatory labelling requirements. Labels must indicate the product category, the inscription "alcohol-free" and "0% vol." with a note that the product may contain a maximum of 0.5% vol. where applicable, the beer wort extract content (except for non-alcoholic beer, special beer, and beer-based beverages), filtration and pasteurization status, color classification, and storage conditions. Optional label indications include "fermented in oak barrels" or "matured in oak barrels" — exclusively for products fermented or matured in oak containers — and "aged for..." for beer matured for a minimum of six months. The indicated wort extract concentration may not vary by more than 0.5% from the declared value.