nacm

Contents
Drinks Labels Move to List Ingredients
Open letter to NACM
Threat to small cider makers

Archive for the 'nacm' Category

Drinks Labels Move to List Ingredients

Published at November 25, 2009 in industrial cider, nacm and wine. 3 Comments

At UKCider we believe cider and all alcoholic drinks should be bound by the same ingredients listing laws as any other foodstuffs. This would help to educate the public about what goes into making pure natural cider compared with the adulterated output from many well known brands. According to the industrial cider makers organisations, it’s the wine industry holding this back, so it’s always good news to see some parts of the wine world moving forward with additives labelling.

There is a movement in the wine business that says that all wines should carry ingredient labelling (see what Bonny Doon(1) are doing) just as most other food & drink products do. The question will be, will any consumer understand those ingredients, what they mean, and what the effects are? Are we defending the consumer, or simply confusing them “for their/our own good”?

via wineconversation.com » Blog Archive » Would you like a dash of natamycin with that?.

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Bonny Doon’s labels bare all

Spotted yesterday at a trade tasting: Bonny Doon’s labels are now baring all and putting a full “ingredient” list. This is not a legal requirement but more comprehensive labeling for wine is a subject that is in play. While more information on labels is a probably good thing, it would be helpful to have some context about some of lesser-known aspects of winemaking. But maybe that’s what the internet is for, researching things like wine ingredient lists.

Open letter to NACM

Published at April 19, 2007 in campaign, craft cider and nacm. 2 Comments


Dear Nick,

ukcider is a community of 500+ people appreciative of craft cider and
perry. We claim amongst our midst a substantial minority of members
who are actively involved in the production of real cider and perry on
a small scale, and maintain the definitive online guide to good cider
outlets and cider making advice.

I’m writing to you today on behalf of ukcider to endorse the letter
which one of our members, Roy Bailey has recently sent in regarding
the 7,000 litre exemption as adopted below:

“We understand that the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) is in support
of the EU’s proposal to get rid of the 70 hectolitres duty exemption on
cider and perry.

We believe that this would be a grave mistake of the part of the NACM,
and would be disastrous as far as craft cider makers are concerned,
leading to many of them ceasing production.

The present exemption is a valuable concession which has enabled a large
number of small cider makers to start up in recent years, unbedevilled
with the paperwork and expense attendant on paying duty. They have been
able to produce interesting and distinctive products, making use of
fruit that might otherwise go to waste, and sell their cider and perry
at a competitive price. Like the micro-brewers, they have been
instrumental in introducing new tastes and flavours which the larger
commercial producers fight shy of.

Instead of being confined to the West Country and East Anglia, cider
making is now carried on in the majority of the counties of England and
Wales, and even in Scotland.

Furthermore, many of these craft producers have sought out and rescued
rare and threatened varieties of apples and pears, grafting them and
planting new orchards which add diversity to the countryside and to the
national stock of fruit.

The brewing industry has only recently been able to enjoy a concession
similar to cider’s duty exemption in the form of Progressive Beer Duty.
This has enabled new breweries to start up, and existing ones to either
invest in new equipment or maintain competitive prices.

Rather than abolish the 70 hl concession, it should be retained and
amended so that duty is only paid on the excess over that limit when it
occurs, rather than on the whole of the production as at present. The
current arrangement penalises those producers who wish to produce
between 70 and about 140 hl per annum.

If the NACM goes ahead with its support of this EU proposal (and once
again this is a case of the EU sticking its nose into something that is
not its business) then it will only provide more ammunition for those
who believe that the NACM exists only to further the interests of the
big commercial producers, rather than of cider makers in general.

Regards,

Andy Roberts

ukcider convenor
http://ukcider.co.uk

Threat to small cider makers

Published at April 16, 2007 in campaign and nacm. Closed

South West of England Cidermakers Association has forwarded a note
from National Association of CiderMakers explaining that the EU
commission is setting up a working group to look into special
conditions relating to excise duty on small enterprises – i.e. the UK
70hl exemption.

NACM note seems broadly to favour getting rid of the exemption.

Comments should go to Nick Bradstock at NACM on 01823 490336 or
nickbrads@btinternet.com by Friday 20 April.