Domestic canned beer purchased last month at a large supermarket
Headquarters: "Air likely entered due to dropping during loading and unloading"
There is controversy as consumer reports have emerged claiming that a mucous-like substance resembling nasal mucus flowed from canned beer produced domestically and sold at large supermarkets.
On the 3rd, JTBC's 'Sageonbanjang' reported the story of a tipster, Mr. A, who purchased canned beer from a warehouse-style large supermarket last month. Mr. A bought three 24-can boxes of beer and stored them before recently opening one can. He was shocked to see a mucous-like substance flowing as he poured the beer into a glass.
Regarding the situation, Mr. A explained, "At first, it looked like palbochae (a Korean stir-fried seafood dish), but over time it turned into something like nasal mucus." When he smelled the beer, there was no unusual odor. He then checked the manufacturing dates on the beers in the same box and found that they all started with the same batch number, suggesting that there might be other defective products mixed in among the remaining beers.
Mr. A complained to the headquarters about the 'mucous' beer. The company explained that there might have been an issue during the loading and unloading process. They said it seemed that air entered through cracks caused by dropping the cans during distribution. However, there were no cracks or dents on the beer cans.
Mr. A said, "The person in charge said, 'It happened because the forklift spilled it during loading and unloading, causing a slight amount of air to enter,' but from my perspective, if air got in, the carbonation should be gone. They said something like 'it seems that protein and air reacted to cause this.'" He added, "The beer itself was completely thick like palbochae. It's not nasal mucus, but you can't drink it knowingly. Maybe you could drink it unknowingly," expressing his bitterness.
The company did not collect the problematic beer but told Mr. A to discard it and provided him with other products. To determine whether the mucous substance was harmful, Mr. A requested an analysis from an expert. Dr. Cha Yun-hwan, a food biotechnology specialist, said about the beer, "It seems that the thickening agent or other protein components were not properly mixed," adding, "There is no toxicity, but manufacturer action appears necessary."
'Mucous Beer' Online Community Posts... More Consumers Have Similar Experiences
Photo of slimy beer posted on an online community on the 27th of last month [Image source=Nate Pann capture]
The problem is that among consumers who purchased the brand's beer, there are others who had similar experiences to Mr. A. On the 27th of last month, a post titled "Mucous-like substance comes out of beer" was uploaded on Nate Pann. The author, Mr. B, said he has been drinking the same brand of beer for several years but recently encountered the mucous substance twice. He wrote, "At first, I thought food had spilled on the beer can and ignored it, but then I poured it into a cup and drank it, and within a week, the mucous substance appeared again," adding, "Having this happen twice in a row makes me very uneasy and embarrassed," along with photos of the beer can with the mucous substance flowing.
Comments on this post included others sharing similar experiences to Mr. B. One consumer said on the 2nd, "I bought the beer sold in a cooler pack at a large supermarket, and some cans had the issue, so I reported it to customer service yesterday." Another consumer shared, "I bought two boxes and while drinking, two cans were like that." Several consumers revealed the manufacturing dates of the beers with the mucous substance, which were March 13, 2024, and March 25, 2024, among others.
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