Sierra Leone Brewery Speaks on Alleged Rubber Particle Found in Star Beer Bottle

The attention of the Management of Sierra Leone Brewery Limited has been drawn to a Facebook post on the Salone Gossip page now making rounds on other social media platforms alleging to have found a strange rubber particle in Star Lager Beer bottle.

As a responsible brewer of over 59 years’ experience in brewing brands of highest quality and as part of HEINEKEN International, Sierra Leone Brewery Limited wishes to inform its consumers that the act of using Star Lager Beer bottle is a malicious attempt of saboteurs to discredit the brand’s image and its corporate reputation.

In view of this, Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, wishes to make the following clarifications;

1. Sierra Leone Brewery takes pride in its rigid production process geared towards brewing products of highest quality in the most hygienic conditions hence it is highly unlikely for a particle or insect to survive our vigorous state-of-the-art processes and inspection systems.

2. Our bottle washing and filling process guarantees the sterility and integrity of our products. Our bottles are washed with 2.5% caustic soda at temperatures of >80 C, and a soak and rinse cycle time of more than 30 minutes. In addition to this intensive cleaning process, all bottles are passed through series of Electronic Bottle Inspectors, the latest technology inspection equipment prior to filling. This ensures that we can only fill clean bottles. The bottle filler is a high technology machine that undergoes a full hygiene and sanitation programme before each bottling run.

3. We have a Food Safety Management system in accordance with ISO 22000 v5.1 and Quality Management System to ISO 9001:2015, both from Bureau Veritas, and we are committed to the production and marketing of safe and high quality beverages.

4. To continually improve, the Brewery has invested billions of Leones in the installation of state-of the-art equipment to ensure its processes are always safe as a food production company.

5. As a company operating with international standards, we have always made our consumer complaints system open to receive genuine complaints from customers and consumers to seek redress. We therefore encourage our consumers to always contact us directly at our Headquarters in Wellington Industrial Estate; or through our customer complaint service line on +232090099001; or Email: [email protected]; or through our Facebook page which is on constant alert to give instant feedbacks.

Sierra Leone Brewery Limited hereby assures its consumers that this unfortunate efforts of saboteurs will not derail its focus in delivering quality and satisfaction. We are fully confident that there is no way an object as recently shown in social media could have come from our process. Star Lager Beer is an international brand, locally brewed in Sierra Leone with top quality and freshness under the supervision of our international partners.

Whilst we acknowledge the concern of the Salone Gossip Facebook page, the Management of Sierra Leone Brewery wishes it to be known that legal action will be taken against any ill-minded person or group of people found culpable of tampering with their brands/ products with aim of bringing them into disrepute.