C&C (Ireland) Ltd recalls its Diet Club Lemon from sale in Northern Ireland due to the presence of high levels of benzene

Friday 7 April 2006

Food Alert: for Information

Ref: 20/2006/Northern Ireland

C&C (Ireland) Ltd has recalled all sizes and date codes of its Diet Club Lemon, carbonated soft drink due to the presence of high levels of benzene identified in some of them.

The presence of benzene in soft drinks is thought to be the result of an interaction between the preservative sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Workers inhaling benzene at very high levels in the workplace have an increased risk of cancer. Benzene has been detected at far lower levels in some soft drinks.

C&C (Ireland) Ltd began a product withdrawal of all batches on 3 April 2006. Point-of-Sale notices will appear in retail outlets in Northern Ireland from 7 April 2006. Diet Club Lemon is not available for sale throughout the rest of the UK. The point-of-sale notices will advise customers of the reason for the recall and the actions to take if they have already bought the affected product.

The affected product is:
C&C Diet Club Lemon – all sizes (50cl and 2L) and all date codes

No other C&C products are known to be affected.

A Customer Careline has been provided. The number to call is 028 9079 9335.