Food Standards Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council warn consumers following discovery of counterfeit alcohol in Coatbridge

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and North Lanarkshire Council are warning consumers to be on the lookout for counterfeit alcohol products following discovery of products in Coatbridge.

Over 40 bottles (35cl) of counterfeit vodka, fraudulently labelled as Glen’s, were recovered from a shop in Coatbridge after a member of the public reported that the product they had purchased smelled of nail varnish remover. Officers from North Lanarkshire Council’s environmental health team and FSS then took swift action to locate and remove these products from the shelves and samples have been sent for analysis..

FSS and North Lanarkshire Council are warning consumers to be extra vigilant when purchasing alcohol and should check any recently purchased products. Anyone who believes they may have purchased counterfeit alcohol should contact their local council’s environmental health service or the FSS Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit – foodcrime@fss.scot. North Lanarkshire Council’s environmental health can be contacted at  01236  856361 / environmental-health@northlan.gov.uk.

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.