SOCR calls on retailers to halt sale of dubious alcohol

Prague, Sept 13 (CTK) - The Czech Association of Trade and Tourism (SOCR) has called on all retailers to halt sales of alcoholic drinks whose origin is unclear or whose labels arouse doubts about their safety, the SOCR told CTK in a press release Thursday.

The association's members are almost all the big retail chains in the country.

The government on Wednesday imposed a nationwide ban on sales of spirits with more than 30 percent alcohol content in kiosks and street vendors until further notice since 17 people have already died from the methanol poisoning and another 24 have been hospitalised.

Spirits makers would incur losses worth hundreds of millions of crowns, should a ban be imposed on the sale of spirits in the brick-and-mortar stores. The state would lose further tens of millions of crowns in excise duty and other payments to the budget, Petr Pavlik, head of the largest Czech spirits producer Stock and head of the Czech Association of Spirits Producers and Importers, has said.

According to him, the state collects around Kc18m a day in excise duty on legal spirits.

Big retailers have told CTK that their customers will certainly not find illegal spirits in their stores.

"The alcohol sold in our hypermarkets comes from our proven producers or suppliers whose products and production processes have been under permanent control," said Globus marketing head Libor Tomas.

Discount retail chain Lidl made a similar statement. Spokeswoman Lucie Borovickova said that Lidl only sells spirits from renowned producers who manage the entire production process. "All spirits bear a stamp in line with the law," she said, adding that every stamp has a number code with identification data on the origin of the product.