London, March 19 (Reuters): The Coca-Cola Co said today it had recalled its entire Dasani range of bottled water from the British market after levels of bromate, a potentially harmful chemical, were found to exceed legal standards.
The US soft drinks giant consulted the Food Standards Agency, Britain’s food quality watchdog, which said the withdrawal was a “sensible” measure.
“Bromate is a chemical that could cause an increased cancer risk as a result of long-term exposure, although there is no immediate risk to public health,” the agency said in a statement. The recall, described by Coca-Cola as a voluntary precautionary measure, could prove a serious blow to the company's efforts to break into the British market for bottled water.
It was recently criticised in British media after its disclosure that Dasani was in fact treated and purified tap water — a practice not uncommon in the bottled-water industry.
The recall of about 500,000 bottles of Dasani, which applies only to the British market, had already begun and would largely be completed within 24 hours, the company said in a statement. British limits for bromate, a non-metallic salt, in bottled and tap waters are 10 parts per billion, a Coca-Cola spokesman said.
, and the Dasani samples had tested at between“borderline” (about 10) and 22 parts per billion. European tap water limits are 25 parts per billion.
Coca-Cola said the bromate was formed during the ozone gas purification process it used in Dasani manufacturing and bottling. To ensure that Dasani meets calcium levels required in all UK bottled water products, it adds calcium chloride, a derivative of bromide.
But due to the amount of bromide in the water, the ozonisation process caused bromate to form at unacceptable levels, Coca Cola said. Ozonisation is a popular process in the bottled water industry, as the ozone gas bubbled through the water kills microorganisms, dissipates quickly and leaves no aftertaste, unlike chlorine treatment.
Growth in bottled water sales is far outstripping that of other soft drinks across the globe, and Dasani rapidly became the number two US brand.
