Why Coca-Cola Has Recalled Coke, Sprite, Fanta Batches In 6 European Countries

The affected drinks in cans and glass bottles were distributed by the company in Britain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and The Netherlands starting in November 2024.

The affected products include the Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, and Tropico brands, as revealed by the Belgium branch of the company’s international bottling and distribution operation.

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Beverages giant Coca-Cola announced that it has recalled several products in some countries across Europe. The company, famous for its soft drinks, said that it has issued a recall of several products across six European countries after it found chemical contamination due to a component known as ‘Chlorate’.

The affected drinks in cans and glass bottles were distributed by the company in Britain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and The Netherlands starting in November 2024. A report by BBC said that by December end, five product lines were already shipped to Britain and sold.

Products Impacted In The Recall

The affected products include the Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, and Tropico brands, as revealed by the Belgium branch of the company’s international bottling and distribution operation.

The firm noted that the issue impacted a ‘very small number of imported cans’ of Appletiser, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Original Taste, and Sprite Zero’. The product codes of the drinks ranged from 328 GE to 338 GE, the company said. These codes can be found on the base of the can.

These drinks contained ‘higher levels’ of Chlorate and were recalled due to the contamination. Chlorate can be produced when chlorine-based disinfectants are used in water treatment and food processing.

Impact Of Chlorate

Citing a spokesperson, the report said, “Independent expert analysis concludes that any associated risk for consumers is very low.” The company further said that it didn’t receive any consumer complaints in Britain and it had already informed the authorities on the matter and plans to keep collaborating with them.

However, exposure to high levels of chlorate can result in health problems such as thyroid, particularly in children and infants. The effect of the chemical on humans also includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and limiting the blood’s ability to absorb oxygen, the report said citing Anne Gravett from the Food Standards Agency. The agency said it was investigating the matter.