On Saturday afternoon, 17 October, nine visitors and two tour guides became unwell during a tour of our brewery after tasting liquid from a sampling tap. All those involved were assessed by the emergency services and taken to hospital for medical examination.

 

We are relieved that everyone involved has now been discharged from hospital and is doing well under the circumstances. We have been in personal contact with all those affected. Our focus remains on their wellbeing and recovery and on providing appropriate support and aftercare.

 

We launched an investigation immediately after the incident to establish exactly what had happened. We have now identified the cause.

 

The investigation found that the line connected to the sampling tap was being cleaned at the exact time of the incident. The connection to the sampling tap was not fitted with the technical safety interlock. As a result, cleaning liquid was able to reach the sampling tap, where visitors would normally taste water used in the brewing process.

 

The liquid consisted of water containing a diluted cleaning solution with a low concentration of caustic soda.

 

Immediately after the incident, the connection to the sampling tap was permanently disconnected and taken out of service. We are also investigating what further measures are required to prevent a recurrence. We continue to cooperate fully with the investigations being conducted by the relevant authorities.

 

We want to emphasise that the sampling tap and line concerned are completely separate from our beer production processes and beer products. The quality and safety of our water and products were not affected at any time. There has been no impact on our beer products, consumers or customers, and our beers remain safe to consume.

 

During the regular cleaning process, our production installations and product flows are technically isolated from the cleaning cycle concerned.

 

We recognise that this incident has had a significant impact on the visitors and colleagues involved. Their recovery and appropriate aftercare remain our highest priorities. We will provide further updates when additional information from the ongoing investigations becomes available and can be shared.

 

Executive Committee Koninklijke Grolsch