Beijing Is Rife with Counterfeit Alcohol
In an update to a previous report finding that 60% of liquor in China was fake, a recent sting of 400 businesses in Beijing found that over half of businesses were selling counterfeit wines. Authorities confiscated 3937 bottles of unqualified alcohol and put the businesses on probation. The checked businesses included small-time peddlers, supermarkets, and restaurants. The Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce suggests that consumers buy wines at large malls and franchises to increase the likelihood of not getting swindled.
Of course, the scary thing is that you never know what the fake booze could be. Your fake Prada purse likely won’t kill you. The earlier post includes an example of “liquor” made with formaldehyde, which caused 14 deaths.
