Massive Coca-Cola Drink recall in Europe due to discovery of hazardous substance
Coca-Cola has announced a massive product recall, including Coke and Sprite, due to the detection of dangerous chlorate in beverages sold in six European countries.

Photo: Mike Mozart, CC BY 2.0
The European division Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announced a massive recall of beverages, including popular brands Coke, Sprite, and Fuze Tea, according to Belgium's Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.
The reason for the recall is the detection of elevated concentrations of chlorate, a substance that may pose health risks.
The recall is limited to the brands Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Fuze Tea, Minute Maid, Nalu, Royal Bliss, and Tropico in cans and glass bottles with production codes ranging from 328 GE to 338 GE (inclusive).
As reported by France 24, besides Belgium, the recall also affects five other countries: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Luxembourg.
According to the company, the potentially hazardous batches of beverages were produced at a factory in Ghent, Belgium, and have been on sale since November.
Chlorate is a compound that can form when chlorine disinfectants are used in water and food production. The European Food Safety Authority warned back in 2015 that prolonged exposure to this substance is especially dangerous for children with iodine deficiencies.
Most of the affected batches have already been removed from stores. Coca-Cola emphasized that it continues to actively cooperate with authorities to complete the recall.
In France, independent experts believe that the risk to consumers is minimal.
The company apologized to customers and highlighted that the issue was identified during a routine quality check. No complaints from consumers regarding the products have been reported so far.
Earlier, it was reported that Coca-Cola recalled 28 million bottles in Austria due to the risk of metal particles in the beverages and offered customers a full refund for the returned products.
It also became known that in the USA an outbreak of intestinal infection linked to McDonald's burgers has been recorded: 49 cases of infection were reported, with one fatality.