FDA orders seizure and confiscation of Cosmic Carabao Gin

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ordering the seizure and confiscation of Cosmic Carabao Gin on the heels of investigations into the incident involving two women who allegedly fell ill with poisoning after consuming the alcoholic drink.

“The samples of the product collected and subjected to FDA analysis were found positive for methanol,” the FDA said in Advisory No. 2019-188 released on Tuesday.

“The FDA hereby warns the public on the consumption of the implicated product as this is currently unregistered and has been confirmed to contain a high level of methanol,” the FDA emphasized.

In a separate report by Ivan Mayrina in GMA's 24 Oras, the FDA said that two out of the three tested batch samples of Cosmic Carabao Gin did not meet the standards set by authorities.

Experts found 3,100 to 4,000 parts per million (PPM) of methanol in the said samples.

According to the World Health Organization, 500 ppm of methanol is already poisonous, and consuming a beverage with 1,500 to 2,000 ppm of the chemical may lead to death.

The FDA said it cannot ascertain how many bottles of the gin are circulating in the market as these are being sold online.

Liquor company Juan Brew Inc. is the maker of Cosmic Carabao Gin. “Juan Brew was started as a beverage company brewing beer, our path introduced us to Gin and since then we have been perfecting our craft and formulations to bring to you the Cosmic Carabao,” it said on its website. 

It describes Cosmic Carabao Gin as “an out of this world citrus-forward Gin that combines the finest natural botanical ingredients from: The Philippines, Vietnam, India, and France for your pleasure.”

GMA News Online has contacted Juan Brew for comment.

According to the FDA, methanol may be present in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented beverages as a product of natural fermentation. Higher concentrations, however, may be present in alcoholic drinks if methanol is deliberately added.

Among the symptoms of methanol poisoning are headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, hyperventilation, and feeling of breathlessness.

The FDA said that severe cases may also lead to blindness.

A woman died and another was hospitalized after supposedly drinking the citrus-forward gin.

The victims felt nauseated and threw up before they collapsed.

The FDA warned consumers to carefully check if the products they buy are FDA-registered.

Consumers must also exercise extreme caution in buying alcoholic drinks, especially those that do not have labels, poorly printed labels or with broken seals,” it said.—VDS/BM, GMA News