Bottle Glitch Causes Budweiser Recall Across Europe

Anheuser-Busch said Thursday it has recalled all twist-off bottles of its Budweiser beer in 12 European countries due to a packaging problem stemming from bottle-forming mold equipment. The U.S.-based company, the world's largest brewer, said there was no problem with the quality of its beer. It said the 5.8 million bottles included in the recall represent 6% of its total annual European beer volume.

In a statement released by its Brussels-based European headquarters office, Anheuser-Busch said only bottles filled at a brewery in Spain were affected by the recall. The recall applies to all twist-off bottles of Budweiser.

"Due to a manufacturing problem at the glass supplier in Spain and Portugal caused by uneven wear and tear on the bottle-forming mold equipment, the top ring on some of the twist-off bottles in the recall countries extends slightly further out than it should," the company said in a statement. "This piece can break off when the bottle is opened."

The company said the problem — misshapen rims of bottles — originated with its glass suppliers Vicasa, in Madrid, and Barbosa Almeida, in Portugal.

The recall is for all 25-cl and 33-cl twist-off bottles sold in Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Cyprus, Malta, Belgium, Netherlands, Latvia, Germany and Switzerland, and for only 25-cl bottles in France, Anheuser-Busch said. The company said it issued the recall after receiving 10 consumer complaints from the 12 countries since August. Anheuser-Busch said its glass suppliers are working to help resolve the problem by revising their production equipment to ensure the problem will not recur.

A spokesman for Vicasa, majority-owned by Spain's Cristaleria, said it had produced 30 million bottles for Anheuser-Busch this year and was not aware of any problem in the manufacturing process. "All we know is that there have been a number of breakages, but we don't know yet whether they are our bottles or Barbosa Almeida's," the spokesman said.

Portuguese bottle-maker Barbosa Almeida said it was analyzing problems with beer bottles supplied to Anheuser, but that it was too early to reach conclusions.

Budweiser is sold under the "Anheuser-Busch B" brand name in Germany and Switzerland.

Budweiser glass bottles sold in Ireland, Greece and Italy are supplied from a different glass source and are not subject to the recall.

Beer produced at the company's brewery near London and for sale in Britain is not affected. "However, a very small number of bottles filled in Spain are sold in the UK. These are clearly identified by the twist-off cap and the back label identifying place of origin," Anheuser-Busch said. Budweiser sold in cans in Europe and Budweiser sold in the United States is not affected.

The Bud recall was the second major product withdrawal in Europe this summer by a beverage maker. Coca-Cola withdrew millions of soft drinks from store shelves across Europe when hundreds of people in Belgium and France became ill after drinking Coca-Cola products.

Edited by Bill Noone