Manufacturers and dealers of rum are now required to comply with

a newly-approved Cari-com standard which addresses such factors as colouring, flavouring and blending, hygienic conditions, and strength reduction.

The standard also covers packaging requirements regarding the type of containers used for packaging and the sealing of those containers, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) said in a press release.

The standard was prepared through the Caricom Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) for use by manufacturers, distillers, bottlers and importers of rum to ensure that Carib-bean consumers get a product of good quality and also to protect Caricom rum producers in the overseas market.

The general and specific labelling requirements are stated in detail and deal with label designs and size of letters, as well as information regarding the product such as brand name, product name, alcohol content, statement of maturity or age and net content.In addition to these the standard provides the relevant testing requirements and procedures for the determination of ethyl alcohol content, and the determination of artificial colour, methyl alcohol, and ethyl carbonate, in addition to the scale of sampling. Rum conforming to the requirements of this standard which is manufactured under an approved system of quality assurance is eligible to be licensed to use the Caricom Standard Mark which is administered by the Caribbean Common Market Standards Council (CCMSC). The requirements are stipulated in the Guyana Standard Specification for Rum, GYS 37:2006, which was recently approved as a mandatory Caricom Standard by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). Meanwhile manufacturers and dealers of rum are urged to acquire copies of the standard from the GNBS and to follow the requirements stipulated in order to ensure that quality rum is manufactured and sold to consumers in Guyana, the Caribbean and around the world, the release added.