Company Statements

03/19/04
Voluntary Withdrawal of Dasani in UK

To ensure that only products of the highest quality are provided to our consumers, the Coca-Cola system in Great Britain is voluntarily withdrawing all Dasani products currently in the marketplace in UK. The withdrawal began on Friday, March 19, 2004 and will be 80-85% completed within 24 hours.

Calcium is a legal requirement in all bottled water products in the UK, including Dasani. To deliver the required calcium, the company adds back Calcium Chloride into the product. Through detailed analysis, the company discovered that its product did not meet its quality standards. Because of the high level of bromide contained in the Calcium Chloride, a derivate of bromide, bromate, was formed at a level that exceeded UK legal standards. This occurred during the ozonisation process the company employs in manufacturing.

Immediately after the company identified this issue, it consulted with the Food Standards Agency. The FSA has confirmed that there is no immediate health or safety issue. The withdrawal is a precautionary measure.

The company welcomes consumers to return purchased product by contacting the free phone consumer care line 0800 227 711 - or to call if they have other concerns. The care line number appears on all Dasani packs.

The company is working closely with all its stockists to remove the product from the market place. This withdrawal only affects Dasani in the UK market.

Consumers rightly expect that products of The Coca-Cola Company meet only the highest possible standards for quality as well as all UK regulations.