07 November 2023 , 22:57
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Coca-Cola has confirmed that someone fell unwell after drinking one of their fizzy drinks in Croatia.
The unnamed person drank the Romerquelle Emotion Blueberry Pomegranate drink, a flavoured mineral water, at a cafe in Rijeka, before becoming hospitalised. Numerous posts circulated on social media showing that several people had been seriously "poisoned", Index.hr reported, but further information is scant.
The drink is listed on Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company's website as one that they produce. Local media said police confirmed just one case of a person who fell ill while consuming a non-alcoholic, carbonated drink. There was also another incident in Croatia, in Zagreb, where someone fell ill after drinking Coca-Cola in a plastic bottle that was purchased from a vending machine at a university.
The authorities, including the State Inspectorate, are actively working to determine the exact nature of these cases. Romerquelle is produced in Austria, while Coca-Cola is manufactured in Croatia.
Croatia's Health Minister, Vili Beroš, acknowledged the incidents and said the people are currently stable and not in life-threatening condition. Coca-Cola Croatia has responded to the incident, confirming its connection to a Romerquelle mineral water bottle and expressing deep concern. They have pledged full cooperation with the authorities in resolving the matter. Coca-Cola said in a statement, Novilist reported: "We are aware of an isolated case related to one glass bottle of Romerquelle Emotion Blueberry Pomegranate 330 ml. We express our deep concern and hope for a speedy and full recovery for the person involved in this case. We are fully open to cooperation with all competent authorities."
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Coca-Cola also said a thorough investigation was carried out to determine how many unsafe bottles of the flavoured water were on the market and they found it was just the one bottle in question. In 2017, a high court judge in Nigeria ruled that some popular soft drinks sold under the Coca-Cola brand could be poisonous.
The court held that high levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives in the popular soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when mixed with ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, according to local media. Justice Adedayo Oyebanji ordered the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) to place written warnings on Fanta and Sprite bottles against drinking them with vitamin C and awarded costs of two million naira (£2,067) against the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for failing to ensure health standards.
The judgment followed a lawsuit brought against regulator NAFDAC and the NBC – a member of the Coca-Cola Hellenic group which bottles Coca-Cola products in Nigeria – by Lagos businessman Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo. The claimant’s company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, attempted to export Coca-Cola products to the United Kingdom for retail in February 2007.