The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited has faulted claims that its products, Fanta and Sprite when taken with Vitamins C are poisonous.

In a statement by its management Wednesday, the firm said information on the safety of benzoic and ascorbic acids as ingredients in soft drinks, citing a Lagos High Court order, is misleading.

“In the judgement delivered on February 15, 2017 in a suit involving Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited & Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo vs. Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) & National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Lagos High Court dismissed all claims against NBC and held that the company had not breached its duty of care to consumers and that there was no proven case of negligence against it.

“In the same judgement, the court directed NAFDAC to mandate NBC to include a warning on its bottles of Fanta and Sprite that its contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same become poisonous if taken with Vitamin C. This order was premised on the fact that the products contain the preservative, benzoic acid. NBC has since appealed this order.”

The firm explained that the standards for testing benzoic acid in soft drinks differs from country to country and is influenced by different factors such as climate.

The Nation