Brewery Sued by Former Employee Over Alcoholism

A former brewery head in Brazil has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Ambev, claiming that they failed to inform him about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. The employee, who was hired in 1976 and fired in 1991, claims he had to consume approximately 4 liters of beer daily to check the beer's quality.

According to the plaintiff, this amount increased during holidays and special occasions. He claims to have consumed approximately 25,000 large glasses of beer during his employment at Ambev and that he was not warned about the dangers.

Ambev responded that the tests were technical in nature and required only small sips. The company argued that it was impossible to consume such a large amount of beer and continue to work effectively. Furthermore, Ambev emphasized that the plaintiff had extensive experience and was aware of the risks of excessive alcohol consumption.

The court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiff's alcoholism symptoms appeared nine years after his dismissal and that he continued to work in the same industry at other companies. In addition, the court noted that as the head of beer production, the plaintiff should have been aware of the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

It is noted that modern quality control methods in breweries involve testing in small quantities, with employees being advised not to swallow the product, especially in the early stages of production.