Goodbye to Backer beer: Brazil prohibits its sale after causing four deaths and nineteen poisonings

The Brazilian health authorities banned the sale throughout the country of any of the brands of the Backer brewery to whose contamination by toxins four deaths and other 19 poisonings occurred in recent weeks are attributed.

The ban was decided by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), a body linked to the Ministry of Health, and obliges all bars, restaurants and shops in the country to withdraw these products from the market.

According to the decree published by the regulatory body, the prohibition extends to all brands of Backer beer, even those that have not yet been identified as contaminated, that have an expiration date equal to or after August 2020.

Anvisa explained that it had opted for the ban after laboratory tests conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture identified the presence of the toxic substances monoethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in at least 21 lots of eight brands of beers manufactured by Backer, a company based in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais.

The ministry had confirmed that two lots of Belorizontina and Capixaba beers were contaminated and, as a preventive measure, had ordered the suspension of production and the withdrawal of all brands of the company from the market.

Presence of toxic substances

But in new laboratory tests carried out by specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture, the presence of toxic substances was also detected in the brands Capitao Senra, Pele Vermelha, Fargo 46, Backer Pilsen, Brown and Backer D2.

Unlike the ministerial sanction, which obliges the manufacturer to suspend the production and distribution of its products, that of Anvisa extends to all companies that offer beers to the public.

Anvisa's decision also enables the supervisory bodies of all municipalities and states in Brazil to go to commercial establishments to verify whether the prohibition is complied with.

“The results of the analyzes showed that the source of contamination can be general and not punctual, that is, it would not be limited to specific batches already analyzed but would cover all production,” Anvisa said in a statement.

“The measure is preventive and applies to all of Brazil. The objective is to avoid the risk to consumers. The ban will be maintained until the company verifies the absence of the two substances in its beers,” the note adds.

Deaths and intoxications

According to the Civil Police of the state of Minas Gerais, so far four people have died with symptoms of a rare syndrome after consuming the beers.

Another 19 people are hospitalized in Belo Horizonte, the main Backer market, with the same symptoms, especially acute renal failure and neurological alterations, and health authorities investigate whether their problems were also caused by the intake of toxins.

Monoethylene glycol and diethylene glycol are used in refrigeration systems thanks to their antifreeze properties, but the brewer claims that it does not use them in its production line.

Both products are toxic and should not have contact with liquids but some companies use them to cool their tanks.

The authorities consider that the presence of contaminating substances inside the brewer's water tanks is “exceptional” and, therefore, a specialized group investigates the causes of the contamination.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, three hypotheses are currently being considered: sabotage, leakage or improper use of monoethylene glycol molecules in the system's cooling process.