A Manitoba distillery’s hand sanitizer has been recalled by Health Canada after the federal agency found the company was using unauthorized, technical-grade ethanol.
204 Spirits Inc.’s hand sanitizer is among a dozen hand sanitizers that contain technical-grade ethanol the federal agency has recalled. The product was added to the list Friday.
The product — 204 Hand Sanitizer — is not authorized for sale in Canada, Health Canada said in its notice.
The federal agency temporarily authorized the use of technical-grade ethanol — a grade less pure than pharmaceutical or food-grade ethanol — in hand sanitizers amid a shortage of the purer stuff in April at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, manufacturers have to source their technical-grade ethanol from a Health Canada-authorized list of suppliers and receive an approval letter from the federal agency to produce alcohol-based sanitizers.
Health Canada said 204 Spirits Inc. didn’t do that.
The federal agency has advised Canadians to stop using the product and contact a health-care provider if they have used it and now have health concerns.
The vodka and gin distillery, based in the rural municipality of Springfield, added hand sanitizer to its product line during the pandemic.