Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has called for stricter beer labelling regulations after finding one in five brands tested had a “considerable discrepancy” between their advertised alcohol content and their actual levels.
The Consumer Council said on Monday that local regulations currently did not require beers with an alcohol content ranging from 1.2 per cent to 10 per cent to specify how many calories they contained. Those with a greater alcohol concentration generally had more calories, it found.
“The only thing a consumer can rely on is to look at the [alcohol-by-volume] level to determine the calorie level,” said Gilly Wong Fung-han, the council’s chief executive. “There are very specific regulations overseas that we can make reference to already that we advocate for better … regulation and legislation to govern alcohol content in Hong Kong.”
For the first time, the watchdog put beer under the spotlight, testing 30 products. It found six brands showed a “considerable discrepancy” between their advertised alcohol content and the actual amount.
The six were Young Masters 1842 Island Imperial IPA, Gweilo Lager, Yamaguchi Craft Beer Hagi Yuzu Ale, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Marks & Spencer Strawberry & Cucumber Sour, and a wheat beer by Harbin.
According to the study covering international and local brands, drinking a can of beer containing more than 200 calories was the equivalent of eating one bowl of rice.
Tsingtao Stout contained 66 calories per 100ml, or 218 calories for every 330ml (11.15 ounce) can, the highest concentration among the brands tested. Hong Kong craft brewery Young Masters’ 1842 Island Imperial IPA had the second-highest concentration, at 57 calories per 100ml. The remainder had concentrations ranging between 33 and 46 calories per 100ml.
The watchdog warned that drinking two beers with more than 200 calories per can each day for three months without adequate exercise would result in gaining 2.27kg (5lbs).
The council said all the tested products also contained biogenic amines, a by-product of the fermentation process. Excessive intake could lead to headaches, dizziness, vomiting, respiratory distress and even cerebral haemorrhaging.
According to a 2022 study published in the United States, concentrations of biogenic amines up to 100mg per litre are considered safe for consumption.
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Carlsberg Danish Pilsner had the highest number of biogenic amines, with 7 different types of the substance detected, totalling 163.1mg per litre. Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale also had higher-than recommended levels, at 173.8mg per litre. Other brands had significantly lower levels of biogenic amines, with most falling between 5mg per litre and 20mg per litre.
The council noted no regulations specifying an upper limit of biogenic amines in eligible products existed either in Hong Kong or other jurisdictions.
The watchdog gave 11 of the tested brands a five-star rating overall, including Guinness Draught, Snow Beer, Carbon Brews Staying Alive Session IPA and Yau Pale Ale.
The lowest-scoring beer, the wheat beer by Harbin, was also found to contain deoxynivalenol, or “vomitoxin,” which develops when improperly stored barley – a key ingredient in beer – develops mould.
Harbin said that it has never exported or sold the tested product in Hong Kong, with the brand only manufactured and sold in mainland China, where it complied with all relevant regulations.
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The council said it had bought a Harbin beer at supermarket chain Prizemart.
Henry Atkinson, managing director for Gweilo Beer, told the Post that the 15.2 mg per litre of biogenic amines found in their lager was below levels that would pose a risk to health and “well below” what was often industry practice.
He added the 0.54 percentage point deviation in the beer’s labelled alcohol content found by the council was within Hong Kong specifications, and the brewery sought to stay within the 0.5 percentage point standard “widely applied around the world”.
“In summary, our lager is well within industry and legal tolerances and does not pose any risk to human health,” Atkinson said.
Tsingtao said its products strictly comply with applicable food and safety laws and standards of the markets in which they were sold.
Carlsberg said on Monday that it ran its own testing on the same batch of products after they had been informed by the council of the test results. The brewery’s tests showed that all the seven biogenic amines were lower than those detected by the council.
San Miguel’s manufacturer said its alcohol deviation fell within EU regulations based on tests performed by the company, as well as two other third-party testing agencies.
The Post has reached out to Marks & Spencer and the makers of Young Masters, and Yamaguchi Craft Beer for comment.
