Coca-Cola has issued a recall for a “significant amount” of its popular drinks, including Coke, Sprite, and Fanta, due to safety fears.
The soft drink giant discovered excessive levels of the chemical chlorate in several of its brands, which were destined for sale in the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The affected products include Fuze Tea, Minute Maid, Nalu, Royal Bliss and Tropico, with production codes ranging from 328 GE to 338 GE.
Chlorate, a by-product of chlorine used in water disinfection, can cause thyroid issues or kidney failure at extremely high levels, and may even be fatal.
However, Coca-Cola maintains that although the levels are higher than usual, they are low enough that “any associated risk for consumers is very low”, according to “independent expert analysis”.
Caron Grazette, an NHS and private nutritionist, told the BBC: “We need to question whether or not we want to digest chemicals in soft drinks which are used in the production of fireworks and disinfectants, however small the quantity.”
Late last year, affected batches of five Coca-Cola products were shipped to the UK before routine testing revealed elevated levels of chlorate at a production facility in Belgium. The company said it had not received any consumer complaints in Great Britain, and that it had “alerted the authorities on this matter and will continue to collaborate with them.”
A Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “We do not have a precise figure, but it is clear that it is a considerable quantity.
“The majority of the affected and unsold products have already been removed from store shelves and we continue to take measures to remove all remaining products from the market.”
Customers are being urged not to consume the drinks and instead return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
“We are in contact with the competent authorities in each of the affected markets,” Coca-Cola stated.
The European Food Safety Authority has warned that high levels of chlorate “could result in potential serious health effects, especially among infants and children”.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson said it “considers the quality and safety of its products as its top priority”.