On the heels of safety concerns raised by health and Safety Authorities in the United Kingdom on consumption safety of Fanta and Sprite from Nigeria,the Consumer Protection Council,(CPC) has given a 7 day ultimatum to Nigerian Bottling Company to give detail composition of sprite and Fanta beverages commonly consumed in Nigeria.
Already, there is a notable judgement out of Lagos state High Court that has raised questions in respect of Fanta and Sprite which are products of Nigeria Bottling Company Plc,particularly, the question of whether consuming these products with Vitamin C could lead to serious adverse effects.
The director general of CPC Dupe Atoki,while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja on the necessary steps the commission would take said,”The Council is keenly interested and extremely concerned about the questions that have arisen from on account of this judgement.
“As such upon the discoveries therein,the CPC is launching a broad and detailed investigation as a matter of urgency”
She said,”Indeed the judgement only serves as the subject of bringing this information to CPC’s attention,the Council would conduct it’s own independent investigation”
The director general noted further that the key questions for Nigeria Bottling Company by the CPC include:”Is Sprite/Fanta at the time of Production potentially harmful to consumers when consumed with Vitamin C?
“If yes-what is NBC’s obligation to consumers and has NBC and has NBC fully discharged that obligation?.Pursuant to the Consumer Protection Council Act,the Council is interested in discovering what steps if any NBC took after the testing and confistication of Fanta and Sprite by the United Kingdom authorities”CPC director general questioned.
The director general also informed that the reasons for CPC’s safety concerns on Sprite and Fanta was that for years,the beverges in question have arguably and consistently been the most consumed beverages in Nigeria.
She explained further that the Council had already engaged NBC in furtherance of this investigation and requested relevant information,adding that the CPC expect the full cooperation of NBC as it is a matter of national interested and focused on safety of consumers.
