Winifred Bosa

To those who may have doubted the Nigerian Bottling Company NBC Ltd health claims on their product, Fanta and Sprite  given the recent  court  judgement, directing NAFDAC to mandate NBC to include a warning on the bottles that its contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same become poisonous, NBC has  appealed this order and has assured consumers of unwavering commitment to product safety.

They have in a statement allayed the fear noting that  the benzoic and ascorbic acid levels in Fanta as well as the benzoic acid level in Sprite produced and sold by NBC in Nigeria are in compliance with the levels approved by all relevant national regulators and the international level set by CODEX.

“there is no truth in the report that these products would become poisonous if consumed alongside Vitamin C.
Both benzoic acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world, “NBC said.

“The wrong perception emanating from the media reports that our Fanta and Sprite beverages which are fully compliant with all national and international food quality and safety standards are unsafe, simply because their levels of Benzoic acid were not within the UK standards, is not only unfounded but also undermines the entire food and beverage industry in Nigeria which is regulated by the same ingredient levels approved by NAFDAC and other regulatory bodies for the country. ”

In a suit involving Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited & Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo v.  Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) & National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),
, it was alleged that sometimes in March, 2007 Fijabi Adebo Holdings Company purchased from NBC large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and Soda Water for export to the United Kingdom for retail purposes and supply to their customers in UK.

The consignment of the soft drinks arrived UK but due to the irregularities and harmful content of the soft drinks which can cause cancer to the consumer, the claimants could not sell the Fanta and Sprite products resulting in appreciable losses, as they were certified unsuitable for consumption and were seized and destroyed by the UK health authorities.

This prompted the judgement of the Lagos High Court to order the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to henceforth mandate the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) Plc to include on all bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company a written warning that the content of the said bottles of soft drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous.

The Nigerian softdrink giant found this tough as criticisms over use of their products as well as the company itself escalated with concerns over health effects.

They clarified ,”the subject case which dates back to 2007, the UK authorities confiscated a consignment of our products shipped to that country by the plaintiff because their benzoic acid levels were not within the UK national level, although well within the levels approved by both the national regulators for Nigeria and the international levels set by CODEX, the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing food standards globally. ”

Throwing more light , NBC observed ,” UK standards limit benzoic acid in soft drinks to a maximum of 150 mg/kg. Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX.

The statement further noted that the permissible ingredient levels set by countries for their food and beverage products are influenced by a number of factors such as climate, an example being the UK, a temperate region, requiring lower preservative levels unlike tropical countries.
“Given the fact that the benzoic and ascorbic acid levels in Fanta as well as the benzoic acid level in Sprite produced and sold by NBC in Nigeria are in compliance with the levels approved by all relevant national regulators and the international level set by CODEX, there is no truth in the report that these products would become poisonous if consumed alongside Vitamin C.”