Based on the new ruling from the Nigerian court, Fanta and Sprite bottles will soon carry a new warning sign.
The modern society shows signs of detaching from the unhealthy food industry and embracing a mindful diet instead. These signs are present in the recent revenue reports of beverage corporations that show low figures. As of recently, a Nigerian court settled a case in tune with this direction. The High Court declared several products from Coca-Cola Company as being poisonous.
The Nigerian Court Forces NBC to Add New Warning Sign on Products
Justice Adedayo Oyebanji has just officially ordered Nigerian Bottling Company to introduce its products to the market with an extra warning sign from now on. The company is in charge of manufacturing CocaCola products such as Sprite and Fanta. These bottles might soon inform consumers on a new set of dangerous aspects. For instance, no one should consume these carbonated soft drinks together with vitamin C.
The Nigerian Court had to consider the repercussions of using a series of additives and benzoic acids in manufacturing popular beverages. Its main conclusion was that these elements pose a great risk if they are combined with ascorbic acid. On the pharmaceutical market, this product is known as vitamin C.
The High Court has also penalized the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control with a total sum that is the equivalent to $6,350. This decision highlights the lack of intervention of the agency regarding the protection of health standards. These were broken the moment the agency awarded the soft drinks with safety certifications. This move disregarded the danger of the poisonous mix between certain ingredients found in Sprite and Fanta and ascorbic acid.
NAFDAC Was Aware of the Dangerous Mix between Fanta and Vitamin C
The main controversial chemical was the benzoic acid. While it is almost entirely harmless in its initial state, once combined with other chemicals it becomes toxic. An anonymous Nigerian scientist who was in collaboration with NAFDAC confirmed this reaction by resorting to recent studies on human toxicity. Despite these works, NAFDAC endorsed the carbonated soft drinks nonetheless.
“While benzoic acid itself is relatively non-toxic, when benzene is formed in the presence of ascorbic acid in foods it is particularly dangerous, as benzene is widely known to be toxic and linked to many forms of cancer.”
The recent case was opened by the company Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited. The organization tried to export Fanta and Sprite beverages manufactured by the Nigerian Bottling Company into U.K. However, the local authorities rejected the assets on grounds that they are dangerous for the health of their citizens.
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