Sunmai stops selling honey beer in glass bottles in Taiwan after price protest

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Sunmai will stop selling its honey lager in glass bottles in Taiwan after protests against lower prices for the product in Japan.

The company decided to replace the 350-milliliter glass bottles on sale at convenience stores with lower-price packaging such as aluminum cans. The change followed complaints by consumers who found the same bottle cost 549 yen (NT$110, US$3.50) at an Isetan department store in Japan but NT$125 in Taiwan.

The company explained the price difference was the result of exchange rates and taxation systems, with exported beer not subject to Taiwan’s alcohol taxes. Different markets and different types of outlets required different pricing strategies, Sunmai executives said.

Alcohol increases risk of over 60 diseases and health conditions.