Coca Cola drinks deemed safe after fatal poisoning
Investigations by the public security department, the China National Center Food Quality Supervision and Testing, had found that the strawberry flavoured milk drinks contained highly toxic pesticides and amino acid lipid components.
However Coca Cola released a statement deeming its products “completely safe and reliable” following testing of samples from the same batch that showed everything to be within standards.
“We continue to take the recent incident in Changchun very seriously. After learning about this incident, we have carried out comprehensive internal reviews of our production and warehousing processes,” the company said.
It continued: "All of the above testing and test results have shown our products are safe and comply with standards. It has re-affirmed that this event has nothing to do with the quality of the product itself… we have 100% confidence that our product is completely safe and reliable.”
The company said that its top priority is to ensure high product quality and safety through a rigorous quality assurance system.
Not the first safety scandal
Coca Cola has a huge market share in the beverages sector in China and this is not the first food safety incident linked to its drinks.
In 2009 a man in Beijing suffered mercury poisoning after drinking Sprite. In 2010 a high school student suffered the same fate.
Of the latest incident, one child died, one victim is still recovering in hospital and two others have since recovered.
In the meantime, other Coca Cola products have also been tested and found to be safe.
The Jilin Government has also vowed to ensure the safety of its residents since the incident. They are also continuing investigations into the incident along with the Ministry of Public Security and Changchun police.
The authorities are also working closely with various departments in testing, health and pharmaceuticals to ensure food safety in the province.
