OVER 40 bottles of counterfeit alcohol, fraudulently labelled as Glen’s, have been recovered from a shop in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire Council has said.
The products were seized by the local authority’s environmental health team and FSS, after a member of the public reported that the drink they had purchased smelled of nail varnish remover.
Consumers have been urged to be ‘extra vigilant’ by the local authority when purchasing alcohol, with FSS adding that the labelling, look of the packaging, and the smell can suggest something’s not right.
Ron McNaughton, head of the Scottish food Crime and Incidents Unit at FSS, said, “Drinking these types of products presents a huge risk to health.
“The labelling, the look of the packaging and the smell can suggest something’s not right. When you buy counterfeit alcohol you have no way of knowing what ingredients it contains and how strong it is, which could lead to serious illness and intoxication following one or two drinks.
“Please get in touch if you believe you have bought any counterfeit products.”
Councillor Helen Loughran, convener of the environment and climate change committee at North Lanarkshire Council, said, “This was a significant discovery by officers from a retail premises in Coatbridge, who acted quickly to remove the fake products from sale. Our environmental health and food safety officers remain vigilant to the potential issue of counterfeit alcohol within North Lanarkshire to protect public health.’’
If anyone has any information in relation to counterfeit alcohol or food crime more generally, then please contact the Scottish Food Crime Hotline (0800 028 7926), in partnership with Crimestoppers. The hotline is free and anonymous.
