Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Belgium is recalling multiple products because of excessive levels of chlorate. Affected products have been in circulation since late November and concern brands produced at the Ghent site, reports Belga News Agency.
The list of recalled drinks include Fuze Tea, Fanta, Nalu, Minute Maid, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Tropico and Royal Bliss, both in cans and glass bottles. The light and zero versions of the products are included in the recall.
The affected products have a production code from 328GE to 338GE. This code can be found under the expiry date. Consumers are asked to return these products to the point of sale.
Besides Belgium, the affected products were also shipped to the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, France and Luxembourg.
Most of the affected and unsold products have already been removed from shop shelves, according to Coca-Cola. "We continue to take action to remove all remaining products from the market. This recall serves mainly to recover affected products from consumers," it stated.
Chlorate is created as a by-product of chlorine disinfectants, which are used in the food industry during water treatment processes. Low concentrations of chlorate can be found in foods such as vegetables, dairy products and drinking water.
Chlorate has long been banned as a plant protection product. Prolonged high exposure to chlorate can lower the immune system, according to the Dutch food authority.
However, incidental ingestion of food containing high levels of chlorate is unlikely to lead to acute health effects. According to Coca-Cola, independent expert analyses conclude that the risk to consumers is very low.
