Legislation to protect "Shanxi Mature Vinegar" will be implemented on January 1 this year

2023-09-30

In order to protect the brand and technological characteristics of Shanxi mature vinegar, ensure the quality of Shanxi mature vinegar, inherit and promote the traditional culture of Shanxi mature vinegar, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of Shanxi mature vinegar industry, Shanxi Province has formulated the "Regulations on the Protection of Shanxi Aged Vinegar" (hereinafter referred to as "Regulations"), which will come into effect on January 1, 2022.

Shanxi mature vinegar has a long history. It has become one of the four famous vinegars in China due to its unique qualities of sourness, aroma, sweetness, texture and freshness, as well as its rich nutritional value and health care effects. It is known as the "No. 1 vinegar in the world". As a geographical indication product, Shanxi mature vinegar brewing technology is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

However, for a long time, the development of Shanxi's mature vinegar industry has been plagued by problems such as insufficient publicity, small enterprise production scale, lack of nationally renowned brands, insufficient product innovation, and repeated bans on counterfeit and shoddy products. Therefore, it has become very urgent to legislate the protection of Shanxi mature vinegar. The Regulations were promulgated against this background.

The "Regulations" have 4 chapters and 24 articles, which stipulate the production and operation, traditional craftsmanship, intellectual property protection, cultural inheritance, technological innovation, supervision and management of Shanxi mature vinegar.

In view of the fact that many consumers lack sufficient knowledge of Shanxi mature vinegar and often mistakenly regard vinegar produced in Shanxi as Shanxi mature vinegar, Article 3 of the "Regulations" clarifies the concept of "Shanxi mature vinegar": it refers to the use of traditional vinegar Produced by special technology, it has unique flavor and quality, and is brewed vinegar that meets the national standards of Shanxi mature vinegar, a geographical indication product.

Different from other vinegars, the most significant feature of Shanxi mature vinegar is that it is produced in strict accordance with traditional techniques according to special national standards. The Regulation emphasizes the core content of the national standard for Shanxi mature vinegar and clarifies that the production of Shanxi mature vinegar should have the following process characteristics:

First, it uses sorghum and bran as the main raw materials, and barley, peas, rice husks, and chaff as auxiliary materials;

The second is to use Daqu as a saccharification starter, and brew it through alcohol fermentation, high-temperature solid-state acetic acid fermentation, smoked fermented grains, vinegar drenching, sun-drying in tanks or pools, and ice aging;

Third, it needs to be aged for more than one year. The longer the aging time, the mellower the taste;

Fourth, no food additives such as preservatives are used.

These regulations not only reflect the strict standards and unique craftsmanship of Shanxi mature vinegar, strengthen the binding force on producers, but also help promote Shanxi mature vinegar and allow consumers to form a correct understanding of Shanxi mature vinegar.

Shanxi mature vinegar is a geographical indication product. Geographical indications are important intellectual property rights and a guarantee of product quality. To this end, the "Regulations" strengthen the protection of Shanxi mature vinegar by strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights, strengthening the protection of traditional brewing techniques, and strengthening supervision and management.

Among them are the following provisions:

1. Any organization or individual may not use the special geographical indication mark of Shanxi mature vinegar or the name "Shanxi mature vinegar" if it has not obtained the registration for use of the special geographical indication mark of Shanxi mature vinegar, or the product does not meet the national standards of Shanxi mature vinegar;

2. It is not allowed to imitate the special geographical indication mark of Shanxi mature vinegar on the packaging of vinegar products or in the words and patterns used in advertising;

3. No logo with the same name as "Shanxi Mature Vinegar" may be used as a product name or product decoration on vinegar products without authorization;

4. It is not allowed to use the special geographical indication mark of Shanxi mature vinegar or the name "Shanxi mature vinegar" on the packaging of vinegar products produced outside Shanxi mature vinegar production areas; no other infringement of the intellectual property rights of Shanxi mature vinegar is allowed.

The "Regulations" encourage and support enterprises and individuals to build unique vinegar expos and vinegar museums, collect and organize the food culture, folk customs, stories and legends involving Shanxi mature vinegar, and develop special tourism, special catering and other industries, Spread Shanxi vinegar culture.

The "Regulations" encourage Shanxi mature vinegar production enterprises to establish a traceability system for the entire process of raw materials, production, sales, and services, and truthfully record relevant information. Shanxi mature vinegar production enterprises should establish a quality and safety self-inspection system, regularly inspect and evaluate food quality and safety conditions, and improve food safety management levels.

The market supervision and administration departments of the people's governments at or above the county level in Shanxi should strengthen the standardized use and management of the special geographical indication mark of Shanxi mature vinegar and the name "Shanxi mature vinegar", and investigate and punish infringement of Shanxi mature vinegar's intellectual property rights in accordance with the law.