Islington Council have also launched an investigation after 70cl bottles of the counterfeit vodka were found on sale in a non-SPAR store.
The counterfeit vodka contains potentially harmful levels of methanol. The levels recorded could have serious health effects, including blindness, if consumed in large quantities.
No counterfeit bottles have been found in SPAR stores and there are no concerns associated with authentic bottles of SPAR Imperial Vodka.
No cases of ill health associated with this counterfeit vodka have currently been reported.
SPAR has told the Agency that the only legitimate route of purchase for SPAR Own Label 70cl is via a SPAR store and if offered for sale via any other means would be deemed suspect.
The Food Standards Agency is issuing a food alert for local authorities to check for counterfeit bottles on sale in their areas and to take action if necessary.
How to identify the counterfeit vodka
The counterfeit SPAR Imperial Vodka has a hint of acetone smell (similar to nail varnish).
Bottles of the counterfeit samples are identified by the code QI:1445c and a smudged inkjet code reading that looks like 102234 04/08/02.
Legitimate bottles are notated by the following:
- 700ml66mm followed by two symbols and then the numbers 8809
There is no lot code present on the neck of the counterfeit bottle samples, whereas lot codes are present on all legitimate stock.
The photographs, which can be found at the link below, show the counterfeit bottle (left) next to the authentic bottle (right).
Who has reported the illegal vodka?
In addition to the Northumbrian Police seizure of 180 bottles from a transit van, the following seizures of counterfeit vodka have been reported to the Agency:
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