HIGHLAND PARK – Local family-owned distributor, Eastown Distributors Co., said it took less than an hour to identify, account for and quarantine beers that were voluntarily recalled last week. The beers, Carta Blanca and Dos Equis Ambar (imported by Heineken USA), were part of a voluntary nationwide recall because of safety concerns that grains of glass may have entered significantly less than  1 percent of products sent to 43 states.

“Eastown Distributors accounted for and quarantined all the affected products in our warehouse within one hour of the announcement of the recall,” Eastown President Paul Quasarano said on Friday. “Michigan’s current system of safeguards when it comes to alcohol distribution is designed for situations like these: effective and speedy recalls of defective products to protect public health and safety. We applaud Heineken’s quick action and as a distributor, we are proud that we can play a proactive and effective role in keeping product that does not meet quality standards out of consumers’ hands. Adult consumers in the areas we serve were never at any risk because, thanks to Michigan’s safeguards, we know where every bottle is.”

Michigan requires distributors to be responsible for tracking all items through the chain of custody as it is delivered from producer and brewer, through distributors, and onto the retail segment, which includes grocery stores, restaurants and taverns. One key safeguard is a system of territorial integrity, requiring one distributor to be responsible for a specific brand within a geographic area. Eastown serves retailers in Detroit and northeast Wayne County.