In a development of much importance, Coca-Cola has ordered a massive recall of its beverages in several European countries because regulators found higher-than-allowed levels of a potentially harmful chemical called chlorate. The recall, as announced on January 27, 2025, involves a big volume of popular soft drinks like Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta, among others. The decision comes after routine testing by the company’s production facility at Ghent in Belgium showed higher-than-acceptable levels of chlorate—a byproduct of chlorine-based disinfectants, which are used to treat water and in food processing.
What is chlorate and why is it harmful?
Chlorate is the chemical compound deriving from chlorine disinfectants. It finds use in water treatment and the processing of foodstuffs. While in small quantities it is contained in most foods and drinks, high intake might pose health hazards, especially for children and infants. In chronic ingestion, chlorate might inhibit iodine uptake—the element that is in short supply contributes to thyroid dysfunction.
The tolerable daily intake, set by the European Food Safety Authority, is 3 micrograms of chlorate per kilogram of body weight. Although Coca-Cola said that the risk to consumers is “very low,” it took a proactive measure to protect the safety of its consumers.
Impacted products and batches
The recall is generally for drinks sold in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, and France since November 2024. It concerns cans and glass bottles with production codes between 328 GE and 338 GE. The codes are located on the bottom of cans or on the neck/label of bottles.
Full list of recalled drinks
The following Coca-Cola products have been recalled:
- Coca-Cola Original Taste
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
- Diet Coke
- Sprite
- Sprite Zero
- Fanta
- Fuze Tea
- Minute Maid
- Nalu
- Royal Bliss
- Tropico
- Appletiser
Health risks and expert opinions
While Coca-Cola has been trying to stay away from its immediate health impacts, experts link long-term chlorate exposure with serious health threats. The EFSA said it can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid, especially for infants and children. Symptoms of a large intake in the body of chlorates involve nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and reduced oxygen absorption by the blood.
But Philippe Jorens, a professor of poisons and critical care at Antwerp University Hospital, told consumers they would have to drink large quantities of the contaminated products to suffer severe symptoms. “It is almost non-existent or very unlikely that those large quantities are present in it,” he told Belgian public broadcaster VTM.
Coca-Cola’s response and consumer actions
Coca-Cola has assured consumers that most of the affected products were already withdrawn from store shelves. The company has also warned customers not to consume drinks from the affected batches and to return them to the point of sale for a refund. “We apologize to consumers and our commercial partners,” said the company, underlining its commitment to product safety and quality.
This recall pertains to eight countries and has been affected with the cooperation of the respective food safety authorities therein: the Food Standards Agency in the UK and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in Belgium. These agencies are carrying out investigations to ensure that no unsafe products remain in the marketplace.
Broader implications for the food and beverage industry
This incident evidenced the critical nature of the implementation of quality control measures in the food and beverage industry. Chlorate contamination is not solely a Coca-Cola problem, since it has been found in other foods, including frozen vegetables, fruit juices, and lettuce, because chlorine-based disinfectants are in widespread use in agriculture and food processing.
The recall also brought into clear focus the necessity of improved regulation and monitoring of residues in food and beverages. Although use of sodium and potassium chlorates in pesticides has been banned by the European Union such a prohibition has not been issued in the US by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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