Fanta and Sprit
A recent court case in Nigeria has highlighted
concerns that locally made soft drinks may be
considered unsafe for human consumption
elsewhere, as Ijeoma Ndukwe explains.
There has been uproar in Nigeria after it emerged
that the company that manufactures Fanta and
Sprite, the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC), has
been ordered by a court to place warning labels
on its products, stating that they are unsafe when
consumed alongside vitamin C.
The drinks are said by critics to contain high
levels of the preservative benzoic acid and the
colouring sunset yellow.
NBC is challenging the ruling.
The case has caused deepening concern in a
country where Fanta, Sprite and Coca-Cola are
probably the most widely consumed soft drinks.
Barbara Ukpabi owns a grill restaurant which
serves local food in Oniru, Lagos. She says she
might stop buying Fanta and Sprite for the
restaurant and also has concerns about giving the
drinks to her children.
"I was thinking of reducing how much I drink of it.
I'll be thinking of drinking less of it or going to
other substitutes like juice."
Although like many Nigerians, the habit is hard to
break.
"I just had my lunch and I had Coke and water."
Security guard John Uloko didn't see the reports
about the soft drinks in the newspapers but heard
about it via WhatsApp and hasn't drunk any since.
'Flexing their muscles'
The ruling was the result of a nine-year-long court
battle initiated by Nigerian businessman Fijabi
Adebo.
In 2007, Mr Adebo shipped Nigerian-made Fanta
and Sprite to the UK to sell at his chain of shops
in Manchester.
His shipment was confiscated by UK customs,
originally because of concerns about the
authenticity of the beverages.
But when the UK health authorities tested the
products, they were declared unsafe for human
consumption and destroyed.
Mr Adebo sued NBC, Coca-Cola's franchise owner
in Nigeria, which had sold him the products.
They had refused to take financial responsibility for
the incident.
He later extended the case to include the food
standards agency Nafdac, on the grounds that it
had allegedly not performed its duty.
Last month - nearly 10 years after he filed his
case - a Lagos high court ruled against Nafdac
and ordered the Nigerian Bottling Company to
place written warnings on its Fanta and Sprite
bottles.As NBC is appealing, the labels have not
yet been added to the bottles.
Mr Adebo told the BBC: "Initially they were flexing
their muscles, which dragged [out] the process. I
went to court to compel Nafdac to do its duty.
"We shouldn't have a product that is considered
substandard in Europe."
His viewpoint is echoed by many, angered that
products considered unsafe for consumption in the
UK are legal in Nigeria.
The case has prompted discussions about
accepted standards in the country.
Although benzoic acid is widely used as an
antibacterial and antifungal preservative in acidic
foods and beverages to extend their shelf life,
studies have shown that the chemical can cause
health problems in certain circumstances.
'Toxic'
A scientist based in Nigeria, who has dealings with
Nafdac and asked to remain anonymous, says
some human toxicity studies have shown that
benzoic acid may react with ascorbic acid (vitamin
C) in soft drinks, forming benzene .
"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. These include leukaemia
and other cancers of the blood," the scientist said.
The secretary-general of the Nigerian Medical
Association says it is impossible to make a
judgement about acceptable levels of benzoic acid
without conducting a local study looking at health
implications over a long period of time.
Dr Yusuf Sununu Tanko says there are a number
of examples where evaluations are different
between countries because of differences in
physical constitution, diet and environment.
"Each country has its own acceptable value of
what is considered normal for what is fit for
human consumption," he says.
Nigeria's health ministry published a statement in
response to the public outcry, reassuring
Nigerians that the drinks are safe for human
consumption.
However, the ministry advises that medicines are
taken with water to help "prevent unexpected
drug-food interactions".
Although the government has not spoken of
enforcement, it "encourages" all bottling
companies to include advisory warnings on all
relevant products.
The Nigerian Bottling Company has appealed
against the court ruling. It says the levels of
benzoic acid in its soft drinks are "well within the
levels approved" by both the national regulator
and Codex Alimentarius, an international food
standards body.
The company also says the ingredient levels set
by countries for their food and beverages are
influenced by factors such as climate, with drinks
in hotter countries needing higher levels of
preservative.
It also says there was "no proven case of
negligence" or finding that the company had
breached its duty of care to consumers.
The government's Consumer Protection Council
has formally requested documents from the
Nigerian Bottling Company ahead of an
independent inquiry.
With an appeal in motion and a government
inquiry under way, this case is far from over. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39340013
Emperor007: My daughter was admitted in hospital for three days after drinking Capri-Sonne.
I normally open at least the first two packs once we open the Capri-Sonne carton to ensure its good before the kids start taking it.
We've been wandering why our daughter was stooling and vomitting simultaneously for the first time & my lovely wife rushed her to hospital before I came back from work.
My lovely wife observed yesterday that the carton of Capri-Sonne have some leakage ( appeared a bit soaked ) & decided to bring the carton down & check it. To our greatest surprise some Capri-Sonne opening seal looked different from the others & when we opened about two of with scissors the content is scary.
Please prevent other children from Capri-Sonne illness .
What do you think we should do ?
before I comment, did paprison company sacked you from work before getting your present job
DeRuggedProf: Just walk into any bank branch you have an account with and ask them that you WANT to complete your e-dividend form for UBA. they will print it for you. You will fill the required info and attach your passport and give it back to them for further processing with UBA registrar. When done, ALL unclaimed dividend will flow into your bank account.
please sir , I did same with my bank (zenith bank ) till now, nothing has been done about it (over 6 months now) I went to my bank customer care I was told it has been sent I then called the registrar I was told it has not been received. I don't know what to do again please sir guide me thanks.
Omoakinsuyi: Given the performance of Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo in the last few days especially on the state of the economy, do you want President Muhammadu Buhari to return back to the country soon or should continue his rest for a longer period
Capital NO.
He should rest in peace and go to hell straight from London. amen.
Bitterleafsoup: My friend a typo is not a lack of knowledge, but tribalism is. Which medium did your God Buhari acquire his knowledge? NEPA right? That is why you voted for him. Birds of the same feather....
ganisucks: ladies and gentlemen, we are in trouble. According to NTA news, our dear president is scheduled to receive a phone call from president Donald Trump today. Since we know that our president is really MIA, who really is supposed to receive this important phone call. I would advice geoffery onyenma to call off this charade. Because if they believe they can use this scam to score cheap political points, then they are terribly mistaken. Donald trump is very smart and does not care about political correctness. So expect him to use this phone call to continue his war against islam leaders. He will expose the truth. So APC, na today una nyansh go open Source: NTA news https://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/donald-trump-to-call-president-buhari-zuma-on-phone-today.232977/
fiponmile: FAYOSE TENDS TO BE THE FIRST MAN AFTER THESE ELECTIONS TO GAIN AN AUTOMATIC ADMISSION INTO KIRIKIRI PRISON WITH ALL THESE NON SENSE UTTERANCES ..........
GMB , THE NIGERIA 2015 PRESIDENT.........
fiponmile: FAYOSE TENDS TO BE THE FIRST MAN AFTER THESE ELECTIONS TO GAIN AN AUTOMATIC ADMISSION INTO KIRIKIRI PRISON WITH ALL THESE NON SENSE UTTERANCES ..........
holuwajobar: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two highest paid footballers in the world and that too by far with their after-tax salary contracts with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. We take a look at top 15 footballers with massive salaries as we head to 2016-17 season. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are by far the highest paid footballers in the world. Both players have unique contracts with their respective clubs where they are paid salaries after tax. Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid back in 2009 for a world record fee and he became the highest paid player in the world when he signed new 5 year deal with Real Madrid back in 2016 and that will keep him at Madrid until 2021. His new 5 year contract is worth £76 million in total and he will be paid£365,000 a week after taxwhich means he costs Real madrid a handsome £39 million a year. Who are the other footballers with big salaries ? Well the top 15 highest paid players list has 3 representing from Chinese Super League, 3 from Barcelona, 3 Real Madrid, 3 Manchester United and three by Man City. Top 20 Footballers With Highest Salary In 2016-17 Season NO#PLAYERWEEKLYYEARLY 1Carlos Tevez(Shenhua FC)£615,000£32 million 2Cristiano Ronaldo(Real Madrid)£365,000 after tax£19 million after tax 3Lionel Messi(FC Barcelona)£350,000 after tax£18.6 million after tax 4Gareth Bale(Real Madrid)£320,000£17 million 5Oscar(Shanghai SIPG)£290,000£15 million 6Neymar(Barcelona)£289,000£15 million 7Luis Suarez(Barcelona)£240,000£12.5 million 8Hulk (Shanghai SIPG)£320,000£15.3 million 9Paul Pogba (Manchester United)£290,000£13.9 million 10Wayne Rooney(Manchester United)£260,000£13.5 million 11Pelle (Shandong Luneng Taishan)£260,000£13.5 million 12Zlatan Ibrahimovic(Manchester United)£220,000£11.4 million 13Yaya Toure(Man City)£230,000£11.9 million 14Sergio Aguero (Man City)£230,000£11.9 million 15Asamoah Gyan(Shanghai SIPG)£227,000£11.8 million 16David Silva (Man City)£210,000£10.9 million 17David De Gea(Manchester United)£200,000£10 million 18Bastian Schweinsteiger(Man Utd)£200,000£10 million 19Thiago Silva(PSG)£185,000£9.6 million 20Eden Hazard(Chelsea)£185,000£9.6 million Only Messi and Ronaldo are paid “after tax” salaries apart from them all players have normal before tax contracts. These salary numbers also include some performance claused bonuses and incentives and real salaries might be lower that what are quoted in the media. When Ronaldo signed this deal Barcelona also facilitated Messi with a new financially improved contract back in 2014 which will keep the star at Camp Nou till 2018. His new contract will earn him as much as £275,000 a week after tax. That is €20 million a year (£14.5 million) and this is after tax numbers making him second highest paid player in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo. These two are in league of their own both on the pitch and off it as well. They have highly lucrative endorsement deals almost doubling their yearly incomes.
see as u de mention moni any how. back here pesin no see ordinary gari sock. i am beginning to believe that the hell Bible mention is NIGERIA .
obiem: It's no longer news that we have an ill president, but what actually he's suffering from, i don't know. I'm not the only one, even the highly acclaimed human rights activist, Chief Fawehinmi too doesn't know too. I think Gani's question is pertinent, we all need to know what our president is suffreing from that warrants sudden trips abroad for health purposes. Nigeria's problems alone is enough to sicken a healthy person come to think of one who is not so healthy,
abouzaid: very true but the reason is because buhari is not seen as a man deserving of our compassion, when president musa yardua was sick, nobody called for his death so why is buhari's own different?
honestly I wept when Yardua died, it will be opposite should this heartless man be found no more. In fact i am going to drink my favourite juice.
georgen2u: It watch with full sense of humor and a jaw dropping expressions when I heard that Nigerians have awoken their consciousness towards this present administration
If we can go back to time past during elections I can freely and authoritatively give credit to the Igbos, one for not being backstabbers and two for standing firm in their beliefs even when the table was turn against them
Igbos saw this coming and actually will not have any case to answer should anything happens to the Nigeria project
Did you remember the 5% talk? Did you remember how a whooping chunk of 29 billion dollars loan excluded key infrastructure in SE.
The truth is " This was exactly the Change Igbos saw"
Due to hate and tribal bigotry most section of the country sideline them and use them as object of gossip or reconciliation. Now you want to protest
Remember the ever ready trigger happy arm forces you were cheering when they shoot at will , killing unarmed protesters?
It's time you taste the soup you cooked. Enjoy your protest
Igbos have decided to take their future into their hands by demanding for referendum Happy protesting, I hope army are warming for training
NaMeAboki: Rubbish, he is also after Africans and particularly Nigerians who he claims take over American jobs - no doubt he would also go after the criminal elements which constitute the flattened heads. Careful what you are wishing for; sometimes it may come back and bite you in the arse.
yinkslinks: Yes he won't mention that but he has advised that any name like Abdul, aminu, musa, jibril, Amina, rakiya, biliki who come for visa in America embassy in Nigeria should be denied