(UPDATED), 1st UPDATE. The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now investigating a local craft gin following rumors that it allegedly poisoned two women, killing one.
The liquor in question is Cosmic Carabao, a gin manufactured by Juan Brew. According to its website, Cosmic Carabao is made with “distilled water, neutral spirit (from sugarcane), juniper berries, coriander seeds, dayap lime, Angelica plant root, Kaffir leaves, green, cardamom pods.”
FDA Officer-in-charge Dr. Eric Domingo told ABS-CBN News that they have already taken a sample of Cosmic Carabao to check if it has methanol.
Last week, a screenshot of a message alleging that Cosmic Carabao had poisoned two women went viral online. It said that one of the victims had died, while the other was unconscious, allegedly because of methanol poisoning from the gin. The message also said that the liquor was not FDA approved. However, it did not specify where the women purchased the gin.
Domingo told ABS-CBN News that he indeed received a report from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute that one of the victims suffered from methanol poisoning. However, they have not confirmed if this was caused by Cosmic Carabao, The Philippine Star reported.
He also confirmed to CNN Philippines that the FDA has not issued Cosmic Carabao a license as it has not been tested.
Domingo said that Juan Brew could be fined and its business license could be revoked for selling the gin before being granted a certificate of product registration. Establishments that sold the liquor could also face consequences.
READ: 4 dead after drinking coconut wine in Laguna
Coconuts Manila reached out to Juan Brew through text on Friday but they have not replied as of this article’s posting.
However, it addressed the issue in a statement on Facebook today, saying that they are in the process of verifying reports.
“We would like to emphasize that our company is dedicated to the highest standard in [the] processing of our products and puts the health of our consumers above all,” it said.
Coconuts has also emailed Juan Brew regarding the issue and will update this article once they reply.
Update: Juan Brew replied to Coconuts’ email with the same statement posted on their Facebook page but did not respond to our questions regarding Cosmic Carabao’s certificate of product registration and their investigation on the issue.
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