The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recalled a batch of Bombay Sapphire gin, after it was found to contain nearly twice the advertised amount of alcohol.
The Bacardi brand’s London dry gin with batch code L16304W are listed as being 40% ABV, but actually have an alcohol content equivalent to 77% ABV.
It’s believed that an error in production that led to the gin being bottled before it was correctly diluted is to blame. Health officials warned consumers against drinking the affected gin, which, despite gin’s relatively low ABV among spirits, is more alcoholic than the strongest absinthe.
The CFIA said in the recall notice: “This recall was triggered by the company. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated food recall warnings.”
The CFIA originally said that the product had been sold in Ontario but may have been distributed in other provinces or territories. It later confirmed that bottles in the batch had been sold across Canada.
The warning has been assigned the categorisation Class II, which means that it poses a ‘moderate risk’ to consumers.
According to the CFIA, Class II is a situation where consumption of a product may cause temporary adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
That means that it’s more serious than a Class III recall, where the risk of adverse health consequences is low, but not as serious as Class I recalls, which involve a high probability of adverse health effects or even a possibility of death.
Recent examples of Class I food recall warnings from the CFIA include a type of cheese that contained listeria and a brand of meat products that may have been contaminated with E.coli.
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