CONCERNS over counterfeit booze being sold in Glasgow has been raised after a substance fraudulently labelled as Glen's vodka was found in shops.
Councillor Ruairi Kelly asked officers what steps were being taken to crackdown on counterfeit alcohol and the repercussions in place for stores found selling it.
It comes after Food Standards Scotland (FSS) issued information to consumers to help identify counterfeit vodka products last month.
The organisation had recovered a substance fraudulently labelled as Glen’s in convenience stores in Coatbridge and Glasgow.
Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 there is a requirement where anyone wishing to sell alcohol is required to obtain a Certificate of Suitability in terms of food hygiene. This is commonly referred to as a Section 50 Certificate.
During Tuesday’s environment and sustainability committee meeting councillor Kelly said: “In terms of the enforcement action that we have had to take, counterfeit alcohol was quite a serious matter.
“People who are selling this are potentially selling a lethal substance to people as there is no way to know what exactly is in it.
“What sort of repercussions are there for the retailer who would be selling this and do you think we have effective enough deterrent measures or is it something that we need to raise through a legislative process.
“Is it the case that we could remove the alcohol selling process or is there more of a staged process that people need to go through.
"Is that enough to stop them from doing it in future as there is a financial benefit for them.”
A council officer said that they could be reported to the procurator fiscal and that this was an emerging issue.
Councillor Kelly added: “Whenever we talk to people in our communities across the city – people go to the shops, they go to their takeaways and they expect the products they are buying to be safe and regulated by a proper body or we do our investigations to ensure they are safe.
“I want to make sure that we have the skills at our disposal to do that.”
A council officer said: “We do have the power to detain and seize products if we know they have not been produced in accordance with the hygiene regulations.”
