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From FRED ITUA,
Abuja
An independent research by the Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CCSG), has shown that Fanta and Sprite brands of soft drinks, produced by Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) Plc are safe for human consumption in Nigeria.
While presenting the outcome of their study at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, President of CCSG, Etuk Bassey Williams and General Secretary Abubakar Ibrahim, said: “We make bold to say that the benzoic levels in Fanta and Sprite produced and sold by NBC in Nigeria in compliance with the levels approved by all relevant national and international regulators.”
A Lagos High Court had in March ruled that Sprite and Fanta may be poisonous following a suit filed by one Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo against the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), producers of the two brands of soft drinks after regulators in the United Kingdom (UK) declared the beverages unsafe for consumption in the UK. Adebo had attempted exporting the beverages to the UK.
The court held that high levels of benzoic acid and other additives in the soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when taken alongside ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C.
Benzoic acid is a colourless crystalline solid used globally as a preservative in various food and beverage products as well as cosmetic and pharmaceutical products in line with global standards set by Codex and local standard set in Nigeria by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
As the watchdog of society, CCSG said that the protection and promotion of the welfare of citizens are primary objectives of the body.
The civil society group emphasized that findings from its study show “that a risk assessment is constantly conducted by NAFDAC to ascertain maximum limits of food additives acceptable in their various brands of beverages.
