Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has recalled “a small number” of 6x250ml Appletiser multipacks sent to UK supermarkets after routine tests discovered “elevated levels” of the chemical chlorate in the drinks.
It has also removed some tall, imported 330ml cans of Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Sprite Zero sent to restaurants and cafés.
The affected cans have production codes from 328 GE to 338 GE, which can be found on the base of the can. Standard dimension 330ml cans, as well as all glass and plastic bottles sold in the UK, are not affected.
Chlorate is a byproduct of chlorine disinfectants used in water treatment and food processing. Overconsumption of the chemical can cause iodine deficiency, and it is therefore subject to strict limits in food produce.
Chlorate posed “a low food safety risk especially when only consumed occasionally”, the FSA said.
However consumers who were sensitive to chlorate and had mild to moderate iodine deficiency could be more adversely affected, it added.
Customers who had bought any of the affected products should not consume them, and instead contact Coca-Cola’s customer service team on 0800 227711 for assistance, the FSA said.
The “risk of feeling temporarily unwell” from consuming the affected drinks was low, CCEP insisted.
“The quality and safety of our products is our top priority and we’re sorry that on this occasion, a small number of our products have not met our high standards, and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused,” a spokesperson for CCEP said.
The recall comes just days after the FSA said it was investigating whether CCEP drinks already recalled in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands could have reached UK shoppers.
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