Chinese police checks fake alcohols
Police officers check bottles of confiscated fake wines before destroying them in Xi'an, Shaanxi province January 4, 2012. Liquor stores, restaurants and supermarkets in China, the world's most populous nation and fifth-largest wine consumer, wage a constant battle against fake wines. The amount of knock-offs on the market may increase as Beijing investigates wine imports from the European Union, threatening anti-dumping tariffs or import curbs. Picture taken January 4, 2012. Reuters

Chinese authorities have seized thousands of bottles of liquors from local manufacturers after discovering Viagra being used as additive on its products. The spirits mixed with the erectile dysfunction drug were marketed for their extra health "benefits" in China, and were produced illegally.

The China Food and Drug Administration, or CFDA, is leading a nationwide investigation after they have found a total of 69 wine products from almost 50 companies had the drug as an additive. The authority has confirmed 15 companies have illegally added Sildenafil, or commonly known as Viagra, in their products, labelled as "Kungfu Alcohol" and "Life-nourishing Liquor."

Two main local manufacturers of alcohols in Liuzhou city in Guangxi had already been investigated for adding the drug to their baijiu products, a traditional Chinese spirit, in the latest food-safety scare in China, the local food and drug administration said in a statement on Saturday. The companies Guikun Alcohol Plant and the Deshun Alcohol Plant added the drug into three of their baijiu products, with all marketed for their anti-impotency properties and sexual health benefits, the authority said.

The use of Sildenafil and other such chemicals into food and drink particular to liquors as a substitute or additive is a violation of the Chinese food safety laws. The chemicals are considered as substance or chemicals that may be harmful to human health into foods.

In Liuzhou, authorities have already yielded 5,357 bottles of the suspect products that sums up to 1,124 kg of raw alcohol. The authorities have also confiscated a batch of white Sildenafil powder worth over 700,000 yuan or $112,726 in a recent seizure, according to the statement.

The Liuzhou case has been handed over to the police, the statement said. However, authorities have ceased production operations of the two companies and have sealed illegal products immediately, while another 32 companies are still under surveillance for the violation.

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