Supermarkets will no longer be able to sell liquid alcohol

Sale of the product had been authorized by Anvisa in action to combat Covid-19. It is now banned again, and shelves must be emptied by the end of the month

By Samanta Sallum

Supermarkets must comply with the Resolution of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) which authorized the sale of 70% liquid alcohol only until December 31, 2023. Since then, establishments have been selling only stocks – permitted by RDC No. 766 – that must be closed by April 29th. Pharmacies can no longer offer the product either. Only the gel version is released.

In some points of sale, liquid alcohol is no longer available. For Anvisa, the temporary release of the product was an emergency measure that aimed to increase the population’s access to items that help reduce the spread of Covid-19.

The Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (ABRAS) understands that the ban “will take away from consumers access to the best cost-benefit product, proven to be effective in health care, environmental sanitation and protection against diseases, including Covid-19 .”

Sales, however, are once again prohibited in the liquid version. But alcohol gel, which has the same concentration, is released. The difference is that this is considered safer, since prevents spillage, preventing large areas of the body from being burned in a domestic accident, according to the Brazilian Burn Society (SBQ). Children are the biggest victims of burns in these cases.

Usage Guidelines

“The supermarket sector carried out a successful campaign of guidance and clarification to the consumer that provided sensible and safe behavior of these sanitizers, without the record of contingencies or accidents since the release of commercialization by the Agency in 2022”, explains the vice-president of Abras, Marcio Milan.

Since Anvisa’s last authorization, in 2022, more than 64 million units of 70% liquid alcohol have been sold by supermarkets in the country. Since December, Abras has been trying with the agency to make the product’s sales deadline in establishments in the sector more flexible.