Drew manufacturers warn of fake juices

The manufacturer of the fruit juice drink "Drew" warned of fake fruit juice products being sold in the streets by unscrupulous persons using their container and brand name.

Yesterday morning a man was arrested by a sales agent of the juice drink after he was found supplying adulterated juice to a store in sitio Tribunal, barangay Centro, Mandaue City, using a Drew juice container.

The suspect was identified as Wilfredo Genon, 33, a resident of barangay Cambaro, Mandaue City. He was arrested by the sales agent Rommel Salas, of the Alternative Food Manufacturing Corp. which manufactures Drew juice drinks from its plant in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

PO3 Protacio Tago Jr. of Investigation and Detective Management Section of Mandaue City Police Office told The FREEMAN that last Wednesday afternoon Salas noticed a store selling Drew juice.

Salas, who is in-charge of the sale of their products in Mandaue City, said he does not remember the store ordering their product prompting him to buy a glass to test the content.

He was puzzled when the juice tasted different, when he asked who supplied it the storeowner told him that a man supplies them the juice drink each morning.

Around 6 a.m. yesterday Salas waited for the delivery of the said juice product and later a trisikad driven by Genon arrived with two containers of orange juice bearing the Drew brand.

Salas later brought Genon to the police, but he was later released without charges but with a warning never to do it again. They suspect Genon was making his own juice and passing it off as Drew juice.

Conrad Espinosa, owner of AFMC, said the proliferation of adulterated juices using their brand name can greatly affect the sales of their product. He also warned that some adulterated fruit juices are using the banned but cheap sugar that contains carcinogenic elements that causes cancer.

These fruit juice products are popularly sold near schools in the city and busy thoroughfares in Metro Cebu and some parts of the province. - Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP