Coca-Cola recalls 28 million bottles in Austria

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is recalling 28 million half-liter plastic bottles in Austria. It cited a risk that they could contain small pieces of metal after a factory mishap.

Coca-Cola on Thursday announced its largest recall in Austria for at least 25 years as a "precautionary measure" amid fears that drinks might contain metal splinters.

The drinks manufacturer said the recall applied to Coke, Fanta, Sprite and MezzoMix beverages with a best-before date between February 4, 2025, and April 12, 2025.

What went wrong?

The company said it could not rule out the possibility that a "very limited number" of half-liter bottles may contain "small pieces of metal due to a technical error in production."

"We advise against consuming the potentially affected products due to a possible health risk," it said in a statement.

Coca-Cola said it had taken the action "as a precautionary measure in close cooperation with the Austrian authorities," and that this applied only to half-liter bottles.

"All other pack sizes and packaging or other brands are not affected by this recall."

"Consumers can return such a product to Austrian food retail outlets for a refund of the purchase price, even without presenting the receipt."

"We regret the incident and apologize to consumers for any inconvenience caused."

Market checks planned

The company added that not all bottles from the period in question had been sold and that many bottles could still be on company premises or retail warehouses.

Vienna Market Authority spokesman Alexander Hengl said his agency and its 80 inspectors were already monitoring whether retailers were removing the bottles from their shelves. He said he expected the recall to be completed in a few weeks.

This article was written using material from the dpa news agency

Edited by: Louis Oelofse