Hitejinro recalls FiLite Fresh cans over 'mucus' substance

The product lineup of FiLite, Hitejinro's carbonated beverage brand [HITEJINRO]

Hitejinro apologized and issued a recall for its beer brand, FiLite Fresh, on Tuesday in response to recent complaints about a foreign substance resembling mucus found in the product.

The recall includes 355-milliliter (12-ounce) cans of FiLite Fresh manufactured at the Gangwon factory on March 13 and 25 and on April 3 and 17.

"Complaints were received from consumers about an odor and cloudiness in some products produced on March 13 and 25 at the Gangwon factory," the Korean liquor company said in a statement issued under the name of Hitejinro's CEO, Kim In-gyu, on Tuesday. "As a precautionary measure, we voluntarily recalled products made on April 3 and 17 and will inspect the production line at the factory."

Explaining the cause behind the foreign substance, the company attributed it to a "temporary issue in the production process". They clarified that it was due to "lactic acid bacteria combining with polysaccharides and proteins" while assuring consumers that it posed no health risks.

"We express our sincere apologies to consumers and partners for any inconvenience caused by quality issues with our products," the company added.

This recall marks the first for Hitejinro in eight years.

FiLite is the brewery and distillery giant's carbonated alcoholic beverage brand that it launched in 2017. It gained attention after appearing in the movie "Parasite" in 2020.

The product's retail sales reached 239.9 billion won ($176.39 million) last year, ranking third in the beer market with a 6.1 percent share, according to data from the Agricultural and Fishery Marketing Corporation.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]