High chlorate levels

Coca-Cola has to launch another major recall campaign

Coca-Cola has to launch another major recall campaign.(Bild: AFP/Christophe Simon)

Coca-Cola has launched a major recall in Germany and other European countries due to high chlorate levels. It concerns product batches of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and other brands, explained the beverage giant's European bottling plant in Belgium on Monday.

The reason for the recall is that high chlorate levels have been detected during inspections. The recall affects cans and glass bottles that have been distributed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, France and Luxembourg since November, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Belgium told the AFP news agency. "We do not have an exact figure, but it is clear that this is a significant amount."

Chlorate contamination discovered during inspections
Routine inspections at the production site in Ghent, in the north-east of Belgium, revealed high chlorate levels, the company said, while apologizing to customers. Drinks with a production code of 328 GE to 338 GE were affected. They should not be consumed. They could be returned to the stores, where the purchase price would be refunded.

According to the European Commission's website, chlorate in food mostly comes from chlorine-based disinfectants used in water treatment and food processing.

Chlorateparticularly dangerous for children
In a scientific opinion from 2015, the European Food Safety Authority estimated that long-term intake of chlorate via food could pose a potential health problem for children - especially those with a mild iodine deficiency.

Products already removed from shelves
According to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Belgium, the majority of the products affected by the recall and not yet sold have already been removed from the shelves of supermarkets and stores.

"We are continuing to take steps to remove all remaining products from the market," it said. The company is in contact with the relevant authorities in the individual countries.

As recently as October, Coca-Cola had to withdraw 26 million bottles of the brands Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and MezzoMix from circulation "due to possible metal contaminants", as the company put it.