Authorities in New Zealand have seized and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of alcohol after it was discovered the printed labels had been interfered with.
It was found that the alcohol, of assorted types in 750ml bottles and worth $40,000 (£20,835), breached food and drink labelling requirements because someone had tampered with them.
According to Auckland Now, the lot codes and use-by dates on the labels obscured, creating a potential health risk to consumers as well as preventing authorities to track the alcohol.
Although the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said that the destruction of the alcohol should put and end to the matter, Distilled Spirits Association chief executive Thomas Chin told the source he does not agree.
"We'd like MAF to prosecute the importer for their deceptive behaviour. There is the further issue of criminality and we hope the full force of the law applies because it was deliberate. It takes a lot of effort to open so many boxes of alcohol and deliberately scratch off the labels," he explained.
Many firms turn to putting holograms or other anti-tamper measures on their printed labels to avoid their products being interfered with.
Denny Bros Ltd, 20 January 2012
