Coca-Cola’s mega recall: 26M bottles pulled over health risks

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has announced a rare and massive product recall, pulling 26 million bottles of soft drinks off the shelves in Austria.

According to reports from the “Kronen Zeitung,” the entire production of the past two months has been declared unsellable and must be destroyed.

Widespread impact on retail, hospitality

The recall affects not just the stock held by households, but also supplies in stores, restaurants, and cafes. The directive requires all affected batches to be removed from sale immediately, with checks set to be conducted by the Vienna Market Authority and regional agencies across Austria in the coming days.

In total, 13 million liters of soft drinks are set to be discarded, causing significant disruption to the market.

Reason for recall: Production fault raises safety concerns

The recall stems from a production issue, where a broken sieve went unnoticed for an extended period. As a result, there is a risk that tiny metal fragments may have contaminated the affected bottles. The company has decided to pull the products from the market out of caution for potential health risks.

Affected products: Which bottles are being recalled?

Several popular soft drink brands are impacted, including:

• Coca-Cola (including Zero, Zero Sugar Zero Caffeine, Light, and Lemon variants)
• Fanta (Orange, Orange Zero, Lemon Zero, Exotic Zero)
• Sprite (Sprite and Sprite Zero)
• MezzoMix

Customers can identify potentially affected batches by checking the “best before” dates. Because of the potential health hazard, any bottles with dates ranging from February 4, 2025, to April 12, 2025, should not be consumed.

Customers entitled to refunds without receipts

Coca-Cola has assured consumers that they will be reimbursed for any affected bottles, even if they do not have a purchase receipt.

The company urges anyone in possession of the recalled products to dispose of them immediately and seek a refund.

Previous incidents: Coca-Cola and product recalls

This latest recall adds to a series of product recalls by Coca-Cola, with past incidents including the closure of five sites in Germany as part of a cost-cutting strategy.

This demonstrates the company’s ongoing efforts to address operational challenges and safety issues promptly.

For further information, customers are encouraged to contact Coca-Cola’s customer service for guidance on how to proceed with returns and refunds.