Come Dec 1, 2017, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be restricted to people above 21 years of age from the current 18, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said Wednesday.

He also said that the amended Food Regulations 1985 required that alcoholic beverages for sale be displayed in cabinets or racks separate from those for other food, and all the alcoholic drinks must carry the label "Drinking Alcohol Is Injurious to Health".

The amended regulations were gazetted on May 27, he said, adding that the amendments were in keeping with the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol whereby Ministers of Health agreed at the World Health Assembly 2010 to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverages in the market.

Speaking at a press conference, Dr Subramaniam said the amendments also involved the existing Regulation 361 on the General Standard for Alcoholic Beverages and the new Regulation 386A on Compounded Hard Liquor.

Dr Subramaniam said failure to adhere to the regulations constituted an offence that carried a penalty of a maximum RM10,000 fine or a jail term of up to two years.

Elaborating on Regulation 386A, Dr Subramaniam said it was aimed at controlling the availability of compounded hard liquor produced from a mixture of two or more alcoholic beverages that could be easily bought at drug stores, grocery stores and coffee shops for as low as RM5.

"CHL is a major social issue in low-income communities. As such, the new regulation stipulates that CHL products can only be allowed to be sold in glass bottles with a minimum volume of 700ml," he said.

Dr Subramaniam said that failure to comply with Regulation 386A pertaining to CHL was an offence that carried a penalty of a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a jail term of up to two years.

He also said that the Health Ministry had discussed the amended regulations with representatives of the industry.