Beer worth Rs 25 crore seized by Excise department in Karnataka

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Aug 17, 2023: The Excise Department in Mysore has seized Rs 25 Crore worth of Kingfisher beer bottles, authorities said on Wednesday. The sale of two brands of Kingfisher beer has been halted due to concerns over their suitability for human consumption.

 

The brands - Kingfisher Strong and Kingfisher Ultra Lager beer - were produced at Karnataka’s Nanjangud unit of United Breweries Company, a renowned beer manufacturer in India.

The issue came to light when Deputy Commissioner of Mysore Rural Excise Department, A Ravi Shankar said, "Sediment content was found in Kingfisher Strong and Kingfisher Ultra Lager beer. The sediment content was discovered in beer bottled on 15-07-23, specifically identified as 7E and 7C."

Following this discovery, samples of the beer were sent to a chemical lab for testing. The excise department received the chemical report on August 2, which confirmed that the beer was indeed "unfit for human consumption". As a result of these findings, a total of 78,678 boxes of beer that had been supplied have now been withheld.

A first information report (FIR) has also been filed against United Breweries Company for producing substandard beer. The products, which were distributed from various depots, have seen their retail sales halted as well.

The action was taken based on the report provided by the in-house chemist, which indicated the beer’s unsuitability for human consumption.

According to United Breweries Ltd. spokesperson, "UBL identified a slight haze in a small portion of Kingfisher Ultra beer bottles produced on July 15 at our Nanjangud brewery in Mysuru. We promptly notified authorities and are actively cooperating with their investigation. This is an isolated incident in a single batch of Kingfisher Ultra only and not Kingfisher Strong."

"We have conducted an external independent lab (NABL accredited) analysis of the impacted Kingfisher Ultra batch which confirmed that the test parameters are within regulatory guidelines and therefore, poses no health risks. We are working closely with authorities to clarify the situation. Our priority continues to be quality and safety for our partners and consumers,” he added.

Courtesy: India Today