Restrictions on alcohol in sugary drinks take effect across Canada
Photo: Cans of the sugary, potent beverage FCKD UP, seen in a Montreal convenience store in March 2018, have since been removed from shelves. (Charles Contant/CBC)
A 568-ml can now contain only 4.5% alcohol, down from 11.9%
New regulations restricting the amount of alcohol allowed in potent, sugary, premixed drinks take effect Thursday across Canada.
Until now, a 568-millilitre can of what Health Canada calls a “flavoured purified alcoholic beverage” could contain up to 11.9 per cent alcohol, the equivalent of about four standard alcoholic drinks, or portions, such as four regular beers or four five-ounce glasses of wine.
Under the new regulations, a drink of the same size can’t contain more than 4.5 per cent alcohol by volume, Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor told CBC News.
