The shortage of glass bottles has led to a shortage of some beverages on local shelves (such as Malta), but Sean Wallace, head of sales at Red Stripe, said that as Jamaicans returned empty bottles to the company and its distributors, the supply began to improve.

Wallace said that although production has been affected by the shortage of glass bottles throughout the year, “the situation has improved due to a corresponding increase in production due to the recent increase in bottle returns.”

He said: “We encourage all consumers to join us and improve the quality of your favorite brewed products (Red Stripe, Heineken, RS Flavours, RS Light, Malta, Dragon, Guinness, Smirnoff Ice, etc.) by returning empty bottles. Supply. and crates to the nearest wholesale, supermarket, grocery store, liquor store, etc.

At the same time, Don Wehby, Group CEO of GraceKennedy Limited, pointed out that the global shortage of glass containers is due to beverages (especially alcohol and baby food) and COVID-19 vaccine (distributed in glass vials).

He summarized: "Industry insiders said that in order to respond to this increased demand, the expansion of glass container production and supply capacity may take more than a year, and in 2022 and beyond, the shortage may become more serious." Wehby said, This has begun to affect local manufacturers of the products contained in glass jars and bottles.

He said: "The current impact on Grace Kennedy's glass beverage and sauce series is negligible, but we are planning to actively seek alternative sources of supply from non-traditional regions around the world to cope with the more serious shortage expected in 2022. We expect , Our mitigation strategy should minimize the future impact of the shortage of glass containers on our production and sales."

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