RED ALERT: Contaminated Coca-Cola’s products, Sprite dictated in Nigeria, may be ‘poisonous’

Abuja, NIGERIA — Disaster rings alarm bells about myriad problems lurking following dictation in Nigeria, of contaminated Sprite, a soft drink produced by the Coca-Cola Company. The popular soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers.

The quantities of contaminated Sprite that have entered the market is unknown. But the incident has received national attention, eroding confidence in public consumption of soft-drinks in the country. But the soft drinks giant said it impounded all the affected crates and that the contamination did not affect any products that were on sale

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) alerted the public of a contaminated batch of unwholesome Sprite 50cl glass bottles circulating in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by the agency’s management, it was disclosed that the product was discovered following a consumer complaint received and investigated by the post-marketing surveillance unit of the Agency.

NAFDAC’s investigation revealed that over five crates of the implicated batch (BN: AZ6 22:32) of Sprite 50cl glass bottles with manufacturing date (MFD: 180423) were discovered to be contaminated with particles.

The affected batch of the unwholesome product has been sampled for laboratory analysis in the NAFDAC laboratory and the Agency has directed all zonal directors and state coordinators to carry out surveillance and mop up the implicated batch of the unwholesome product” the statement reads in part.

NAFDAC promised to find the root cause of the contamination by carrying out a comprehensive current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) Inspection of the manufacturing site to ensure compliance.

The Agency further directed the company, (Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (Abuja plant) to recall the implicated batch of the unwholesome product and report to NAFDAC for effective monitoring.

NAFDAC also implored those in possession of the contaminated Sprite 50cl glass bottles to submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office while it urged distributors, retailers, and consumers to be cautious and avoid the consumption, sale, or distribution of the unwholesome product.