12/12/2011 - Permalink

Drop Vodka warning

Related topics: Community / Health

Shropshire Council’s food safety and trading standards teams are warning people not to buy or drink an illegal brand of vodka which poses a potential health risk.
 
The Food Standards Agency has issued a nationwide alert after illicit Drop Vodka has been discovered on sale in the UK.
 
To date the bottles of vodka have not been found on sale in Shropshire, but have been discovered across England and Wales, including Wolverhampton, Salford and Nottingham.
 
Other councils that have sampled the vodka have identified the presence of Propan-2-ol and other substances that can be potentially damaging to health.
 
Furthermore, the product does not contain enough alcohol to be called vodka and there are a number of labelling issues, particularly the lack of manufacturer’s details to trace the product.
 
Councils have typically found the vodka on sale in small independent retailers, corner shops, petrol stations and similar businesses.
 
The main distinctive marks of the product are: 

  • The general print quality of the labels is poor
  • The duty stamp does is not florescent under UV light 
  • The duty reference on the illicit bottles A000000000618 belongs to Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd. Drop Vodka is not a Glen Catrine product
  • The barcode 0123456789 is not a valid bar code
  • No spirit manufacturer’s lot number on the bottle
  • No manufacturer’s name and address on the label
  • Front and rear labels are self-adhesive
  • Punt mark on bottles show bottle made by ‘Ol glassware’

 
Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for food safety, said:

“We are committed to protecting consumers and take all alerts issued by the Food Standards Agency very seriously.
 
“If anyone comes across Drop Vodka we would urge them not to buy or drink it.  It has not been through the rigorous testing process which all food and drink must go through before it can be sold, and contains potentially dangerous chemicals that could be harmful to your health.
 
“We would ask the public to inform Consumer Direct of anywhere that is selling Drop Vodka and if they have already bought the product, not to drink it, and to report it immediately.” 

 
If anyone discovers Drop Vodka on sale or has it at home they are asked to contact Consumer Direct on 0845 40 40 50 6.