Guangzhou’s fake beer manufacturing industry is back in the news after a major bust in Huadu District that netted 2,000 fake boxes of beer valued at almost RMB100,000, according to Tencent News.
The swoop happened on September 27, when the Huadu District Food and Drug Administration raided three alleged processing dens for counterfeit beer located along Xinya Jie in Shitang Village jurisdiction.
The fake beer processing facilities have been described by local media as “very simple,” sporting just two broken plastic stools, a large pot of white latex, an old capper and some flashlights and assorted tools.
The bust is the second this month in Huadu District, the first occurred on September 4 at a residential unit in Huashan Town. That facility allegedly obtained used pijiu cans from nearby cities, which then had their manufacturing dates removed and were washed. Once the cans were prepped, they were filled with fake beer and new manufacturing dates were added.
In an August 30 operation in Conghua District, authorities procured 26,000 cans of fake beer – as well as over 36,000 aluminum cans, 20,000 lids and 12,000 packaging components.
The most pressing question is: is this fake beer safe? A brief Internet search – coupled with common sense – would say no.
“I’m guessing fake beer would be water, flavoring and alcohol – perhaps isopropyl alcohol, commonly used for sanitation but not drinking,” said David Strand, a Guangzhou brewer and owner of the Strand Beer Café.
Strand also told us the beer used in fake cans may be a cheaper beer being passed as a more expensive imported beer.
[Images via Tencent News]
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