Anheuser-Busch seemingly does whatever it wants at all times, but there are apparently some limits. Last week, the American arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev (aka Beer Voltron) needed to empty its couch cushions to settle some (alleged) trade practice violations.
Specifically, Beer Voltron paid the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) $300,000 to settle (alleged) violations of the trade practice provisions of the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act. The allegations are that Anheuser-Busch’s End of Season Buy-Back Co-op programs for Shock Top Lemon Shandy and Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Ale are violations of the Consignment Sales provisions of the FAA Act, which resulted in 540,920 cases being sold to its wholesalers/distributors located in states with similar state laws. Under the Consignment Sales provisions of the FAA Act, it is unlawful for an industry member to sell, or for any trade buyer to purchase, alcohol beverage products with the privilege of return.
Curious if this news will have any influence on some of the other wholesaler incentive programs the Big Beer mega-corp has allegedly been instituting.
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“The global settlement reached also resolves any and all alleged violations of Anheuser-Busch wholesalers with respect to this program,” is a thing we have to put in here.
