Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Coca-Cola has withdrawn its drinks from the European market in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands due to high levels of chlorite, a substance used in disinfection.
High levels of the substance were discovered during a routine test at the company's production facility in Ghent, Belgium, according to what the French Press Agency quoted a company spokesperson as saying.
The company said in a statement that only five production lines had recently been shipped to Britain, and that these products had been sold, noting that it had not received any complaints from consumers, and that it had "alerted the authorities on this issue and will continue to cooperate with them." According to what the European News Network website in Brussels reported, "Euronews"
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola also confirmed that it places "the quality and safety of its products at the top of its priorities."
For its part, the British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC" quoted an analyst as saying that "independent tests found that the risk of the aforementioned substance in the products is very low."
However, nutritionist Karon Grazit pointed out that consuming chemicals in soft drinks, no matter how small, requires caution, according to her interview with the BBC.
It is worth noting that exposure to high levels of "chlorite" can cause health problems including thyroid disorders, especially among children and infants.
Grazit added that consuming the substance in large quantities can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and reduces the blood's ability to absorb oxygen, citing recent research on it.