Czech alcohol industry seeks to rein in rogue suppliers of spirits
Large liquor producers are calling on the government to take action to stop the rise of black-market alcohol and prevent a recurrence of last year’s methanol poisoning scandal, which so far has killed more than 45 people across the country.
The Union of Producers and Importers of Alcoholic Spirits (UVDL), which represents 12 companies comprising more than 81 percent of the Czech market, said at a press conference May 13 that the government did not act soon enough during last year’s methanol poisoning and is taking too long to implement new industry regulations.
In addition to strengthening regulations around the production and sale of alcohol, the UVDL is calling for more stringent checks, saying that though there is already a sound regulatory framework in place, the real problem has been a lack of enforcement and a lack of political will to act against those responsible for alcohol contamination.
Read the full story in The Prague Post.
(Photo: Zsuzsanna Kilian/sxc.hu)
