Sets of themed Coca Cola drinking glasses that were recalled from the US market for containing carcinogenic material were never made available on the Egyptian market, according to Coca Cola-Egypt Public Relations Manager Rana Gemaly.
The glasses, designed to look like Coca-Cola cans, were found to contain traces of cadmium, a material that has been linked to cancer.
The company claimed that the quantities of cadmium used were too minute to pose a health risk. Nevertheless, Coca-Cola eventually withdrew 22,000 sets of the glasses from the US market.
In a statement issued on Monday, Coca Cola asserted its right to withdraw any of its products from the market at any time, even if it was not obliged to. The statement concluded with an apology to consumers for any inconveniences caused by the recall.
“Cadmium is prohibited in Europe,” said Abdel Rahman al-Naggar, head of Egypt's National Center for Poison Control. “It must be used in conformity with internationally accepted standards.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
