Coca-Cola HBC has issued a recall for half-litre bottles of various carbonated products as a “precautionary measure.”
While the Coca-Cola bottler did not disclose the exact number of bottles recalled, media reports suggest it could be around 28 million. Just Drinks sought clarification of the number.
Citing Vienna Market Authority spokesman Alexander Hengl, the dpa-AFX news agency reported it is the “largest” recall in the country in 25 years.
The products involved in the recall include Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, and MezzoMix with best-before dates ranging from 4 February 2025 to 12 April 2025.
Coca-Cola HBC said due to a “technical error” in production “a very limited” number of 0.5l PET bottles could contain metal fragments.
"We advise against consuming potentially affected products due to a possible health risk,” Coca-Cola HBC's subsidiary in Austria said, stating the recall is being conducted in “close cooperation” with Austrian authorities.
The recall does not affect other pack sizes, packaging, or brands, the company added.
Hengl said the Vienna Market Authority, with its 80 inspectors, is ensuring retailers comply with the recall by removing the bottles from their shelves.
The fate of the bottles and their contents after the recall campaign is yet to be determined, with the recall project expected to conclude in a few weeks, the representative was quoted as saying.
In a statement provided to Just Drinks, Coca-Cola HBC's subsidiary in Austria said: "As soon as we were aware, we took swift steps, in collaboration with the Austrian authorities, to announce this product recall. Precise numbers impacted will be dependent on stock remaining on shelf. Stock from the affected ranges that remained in our warehouses has been put on hold."
Earlier this week, it emerged The Coca-Cola Company faces scrutiny in Africa over its bottling and distribution deals.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Competition Commission has launched an investigation into the company's business practices across its 21 member states.
It suspects that The Coca-Cola Company has entered “restrictive” bottling and distribution agreements with African affiliates, impacting trade between member states and aiming to prevent, limit, or distort competition within the common market.
