The Coca-Cola Company announced a voluntary recall on 7,475 cases of Minute Maid products in eight states due to potential foreign matter contamination. Specifically, the Coca-Cola recall is being initiated because metal bolts or washers could be present in the affected beverages, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The recalled products include particular lots of 59-oz (1.75-L) cartons of Minute Maid Berry Punch, Strawberry Lemonade, and Fruit Punch. The affected fruit juice products, which all have expiration dates in January 2022, were distributed in eight states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The FDA is classifying this as a Class II recall. This indicates one of two things: that the products in question “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences” (as opposed to the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death associated with a Class I recall), or that the likelihood of serious negative health effects is “remote,” per the FDA. No illness or injury in connection with the products has been reported at this time.
“This product did not meet our high-quality standards due to the potential presence of foreign matter,” Coca-Cola spokesperson Ann L. Moore told People. “We took this voluntary action because nothing is more important to us than providing safe, high-quality products to the people who drink our beverages.”
Moore said that the recall, which began on November 10, has been completed, meaning the recalled products have been taken off the shelves in the stores they were delivered to. However, the recalled products don’t expire until January 2022, so the concern is that they could still be sitting in the fridges of unsuspecting consumers.
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If you are concerned you may have a recalled product, see the FDA notice for specific UPC codes, batch numbers, and expiration dates. And if you do have a recalled product, throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
This news follows another recent Coca-Cola product recall due to the threat of foreign matter contamination. On November 24, the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency published a memo warning military commissary stores in Southeastern states about a limited, voluntary recall on some Coca-Cola and Sprite products due to the “potential presence of foreign matter.” The recall included certain 12-packs of canned Coca-Cola and Sprite with expiration dates in August 2022. (It appears the affected products were only distributed to commissaries, given the fact that the FDA did not issue a broader recall notice to consumers.)
Coca-Cola isn’t the only company recalling productions over concerns that pieces of metal could be present, either. In November, Kraft Heinz issued a recall on powdered drink products from Kool-Aid, Tang, Country Time, and Arizona Tea due to risk of small metal fragment contamination. Hydrate safely, folks.
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Source: SELF
