African Court Says Coca-Cola Is 'Poisonous'

(RTTNews) - Consumers in Nigeria are calling for a boycott of Coca-Cola products sold in the African nation after a high court judge ruled that the products could be "poisonous".

Justice Adedayo Oyebanji of the Lagos High Court ruled that high levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives in Coca-Cola's soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when mixed with ascorbic acid, commonly known as Vitamin C.

The judge ordered Nigerian Bottling Co., the local manufacturer of the soft drinks, to place written warnings on its bottles of Fanta and Sprite to inform consumers that the contents cannot be taken with vitamin C. Nigerian Bottling Co. or NBC is the sole franchise bottler of Coca-Cola in Nigeria.

The judge also imposed a fine equivalent to two million naira or $6,350 on the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC, for failing to ensure health standards.

The ruling is the result of a lawsuit initiated by Nigerian businessman Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo against NAFDAC and NBC.

Adebo's company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Ltd., attempted to export Coca-Cola products to the U.K. in 2007. However, authorities in the U.K. confiscated and later destroyed the beverages after finding that the products contained excessive levels of sunset yellow and benzoic acid. Adebo then sued NBC, which had sold him the products.

However, NBC and the NAFDAC are appealing against the ruling, noting that benzoic acid and ascorbic acid are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in food and beverage products around the world.

Coca Cola also refuted that claim and said in a statement, "Recent claims that The Coca-Cola Company's Fanta and Sprite beverages are unfit for consumption when combined with Vitamin C are inaccurate and unsupported by science. All our products are safe and strictly adhere to regulations in the countries where they are sold while complying with our Company's stringent global safety and quality standards."