Major Recall of Soft Drinks Made at Coca-Cola Factory over Potential Health Risks

By Evans Momodu
2 minute read

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK has launched an investigation following a recall of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, and other soft drinks over safety concerns related to high levels of chlorate.

The recall affects products produced at a Coca-Cola factory in Ghent, Belgium, and distributed across Europe, including the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg since November.

The products affected include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Fuze Tea, Minute Maid, Nalu, Royal Bliss, and Tropico, although not all of these brands are widely available in the UK.

The issue stems from contamination with "excessively high chlorate content," a by-product of chlorine disinfectants used in water treatment and food processing. Chlorate can cause iodine deficiency, raising concerns for vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has acknowledged the issue involves a "considerable quantity" of drinks, though most unsold products have already been removed from store shelves. The contamination was identified during routine quality checks at the plant in Ghent.

Coca-Cola emphasized that independent experts have assessed the health risk as "very low" and continues to take measures to ensure all affected products are removed from the market.

Anne Gravett of the FSA confirmed that the agency is actively investigating whether any contaminated products remain in the UK market. As of now, no official recall has been issued in the UK.

This development highlights the importance of robust quality control measures in global food and beverage supply chains and raises concerns about food safety.
Source: Sky news