South Africa: Heineken hits back at counterfeit products claims

Dutch beer giant Heineken has hit back at claims that counterfeit versions of its products are being sold in South Africa, IPPro The Internet reported on August 30.

In a statement, Heineken said that a recent viral video showing “highly illegal criminal behaviour” is an old video first shared in China in 2016 and a “deliberate act to damage the Heineken brand”.

The video shows factory workers packaging Heineken branded bottles in a warehouse filled with hundreds of stacks of fake Heineken boxes.

Heineken consumers took to Twitter to share the video and photos comparing two Heineken bottles with different labels.

But Heineken argued that due to high demand, it was forced to import extra 650ml products, which lead to a discrepancy between differing back labels on products.

Heineken says that it is not aware of any counterfeit products being sold in South Africa and reassures customers that its products sold “in compliance with global best practices”.