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Coca-Cola India assures its products are safe for consumption

Coca-Cola India today assured consumers, retailers and distributors that the company's products in India are completely safe for consumption.

This follows the temporary withdrawal of company products in Belgium.

''There is no connection between Coca-Cola manufactured in India and the Belgium issue,'' the company spokesperson Rahul Dhawan said in a statement. ''Coca-Cola in India is produced locally, and is not affected by the withdrawal of product in Belgium.''

The Coca-Cola company has determined the cause of two separate quality issues which have arisen in Belgium in the last week, he said. These issues caused health-related concerns, which prompted the Belgium health minister to take precautionary measures.

After through investigation, no health or safety issues were found. Both issues are confined to products manufactured or transported through the Belgian market, and these quality matters do not relate to products produced in other parts of the world.

The first issue affected the taste of bottles filled in the Antwerp botting facility. The bottling process includes filling bottles with the soft drink itself and combining with carbon dioxide (which creates the bubbles in soft drinks).

Independent laboratory tests have shown that the carbon dioxide involved in the production of these bottles was defective and the cause of the off-taste in the bottled product. The carbon dioxide supply has been replaced and all bottles produced with the defective carbon dioxide are being removed from the market.

Again, this issue affects the taste of the soft drinks only, and the defective carbon dioxide was only involved in the production of bottles produced in the Antwerp plant for a limited period of time.

The second issue involves an external odour on some canned products. In the case of the Belgian distribution system, a substance used in wood treatment has caused an offensive odour on the outside bottom of the can. Independent analysis determined the product is safe.

The company, in conjunction with its bottling partner in Belgium, is taking all necessary steps to eliminate this offensive odour.

The company said it continues to work closely with the Belgian health ministry in addressing these issues to assure the safety and quality of products for Belgian consumers, in order to obtain the clearance for sales of its products in Belgium.

UNI

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