Environmental health officers are warning residents that a
national alert has been issued by the Food Standards Agency about
bottles of counterfeit vodka that have been found to have excessive
levels of methanol which could cause ill-health.
Counterfeit Spar brand Imperial vodka bottles have been found in
Northumberland and North London and while none have been reported
in Suffolk there is a risk that they could turn up anywhere, so the
advice is to be vigilant.
The counterfeit bottles say they are Imperial Vodka, 70cl,
specially selected by Spar, pure and smooth, triple distilled. The
70cl bottles are not genuine and while branded as Spar they are
based on a pre-2007 label design. Inspection of the label shows
that the Duty stamp is incorrect and does not fluoresce under UV
light, while the body of the text is blurred in places,
particularly around the back of the label, while some of the images
are also blurred.
The actual bottles are also different from the normal Spar
Imperial bottles. The counterfeits are Quinn Glass and have the
code of QI:1445c and a smudged inkjet code which looks like 102234
04/08/02.
Legitimate bottles are Rockware glass bottles and have 700ml66mm
followed by two symbols and the numbers 8809. Another simple
difference is that the counterfeit bottles have no lot code on the
neck, whereas the legitimate ones do.
As they are counterfeit stock, it is difficult to track where
they are likely to be found, although there has been a report that
a bottle has been bought from an independent non-Spar retail
outfit.
An excess intake of methanol could cause poisoning, with symptoms
such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness and
dizziness, blurred vision leading to blindness, and breathing
difficulties.
The symptoms of methanol poisoning can take several hours to
develop, so anyone who may have drunk the counterfeit vodka should
seek immediate medical advice.
Last month a similar warning was issued over fake bottles of
Glen’s Vodka after reports of two people needing hospital treatment
in Surrey after drinking it.
People need to be careful and bear in mind that counterfeit
goods are not subject to the same rigorous safety standards that
are applied to genuine products and as a result can pose a
significant risk to the public.
Any member of the public or retailer who is worried that they
may have one of the counterfeit bottles can contact their local
environmental health team for expert advice – in Suffolk Coastal
they should call 01394
444357.