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NBC says judge blundered, okays Fanta, Sprite with Vitamin C

Published

10 years ago

March 16, 2017

The Nigerian Bottling Company has appealed a court order directing that the company include a warning on Fanta and Sprite not to be be taken with Vitamin C.

A Lagos-based businessman Emmanuel Adebo and his company Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, filed a suit against NBC Plc and NAFDAC.

The plaintiff urged the court to declare that NBC was negligent to its consumers by bottling Fanta and Sprite with excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives dangerous for human health.

The NBC, however, insisted its products are safe and compliant with international standards

“Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX,” the company said.

According to the multinational, benzoic acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world.

“These two ingredients are also used in combination in some of these products within levels which may differ from one country to another as approved by the respective national food and drug regulators and in line with the range prescribed by CODEX,”