Stella Artois recalls beer bottles that could contain ‘particles of glass’

Belgian beer brand Stella Artois is recalling a number of its beer bottles after a packaging flaw raised concerns that the drinks themselves may contain glass.

The AB InBev-owned brewer said it would recall select packages of its 11.2oz bottles of beer which “may contain particles of glass,” including packaging across the board from six-packs to 24-packs, “Best of Belgium” multi-packs in the U.S. and Canada, and Stella Artois Légère 6-packs and 12-packs in the U.S.

Consumers are advised not to consume or allow others to consume the potentially-affected product.

Stella said a “third-party production facility” was responsible for a packaging flaw on 11.2oz bottles, which raised concerned that a small piece of glass could break off and possibly fall into the beer.

The facility produces just a fraction of Stella Artois bottles, according to the brand, and told the drinks business that the recall has “no impact on our direct sales in the UK.”

“We made the decision to voluntarily recall certain packages potentially containing the affected 11.2-ounce (330ml) bottles as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our consumers,” the brewer said in an emailed statement.

“The safety of our consumers is our top priority. While the number of potentially-affected glass bottles is very small, we are recalling these Stella Artois packages as a precautionary measure,” said Stella Artois vice president Christina Choi.

“Our team of technical experts has been working with our third-party glass bottle supplier to ensure this packaging flaw has been addressed.”

The brand also released a list of barcodes which may indicate which bottles already on the market are affected by the flaw. Any consumers who currently have potentially-affected Stella Artois beer in the U.S. or Canada will be eligible for reimbursement.

Stella is advising people to visit their website to find out whether their beers are affected, and what to do next.