Coke Pulls Water From UK Shelves

Coca-Cola Co. said Friday it is withdrawing its Dasani bottled water from sale in Britain after finding that samples contained higher-than-permitted levels of the chemical bromate.

The Food Standards Agency said there was no immediate risk to public health, and described Coca-Cola's decision to stop selling Dasani in Britain as "sensible." It said bromate can cause an increased cancer risk as a result of long-term exposure.

According to the FSA, some samples of Dasani has bromate levels of 25 micrograms per liter, higher than the legal limit of 10 micrograms per liter. The agency said bromate is found in tap water and other bottled waters, but at legal levels.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says bromate is a by-product of processes that disinfect water supplies, and is associated with an elevated cancer risk.

A Coca-Cola spokesman said the voluntary withdrawal was a precautionary measure.

"We haven't yet confirmed when and how we'll be back in the market," spokesman Jonathan Chandler said. "We'll make a communication on the next steps when we're ready to make them."

Coca-Cola, which launched Dasani in Britain last month, said the higher-than-permitted levels of bromate occurred as a result of a process aimed at adding calcium to its bottled water.

"We do understand the problem and have a solution for it," Chandler said.

The withdrawal began Friday and was expected to be 80 percent to 85 percent complete within 24 hours, Coca-Cola said.

Dasani suffered a rash of bad publicity earlier this month when British newspapers discovered that the product was purified tap water — something Coke had always acknowledged. Following the newspaper stories, the Food Standards Agency said it was inquiring whether Coke was entitled to use the term "pure" in describing Dasani.

Coke, which sells a similarly made Dasani water in the United States, said it's confident it's abiding by the local rules.

"We work closely with all regulatory bodies and in this instance we are fully satisfied that we are compliant with all guidelines and regulations," the company said in a statement.

A Coke spokesman said on condition of anonymity that the complaint may have been made by its competitors in Britain's $1.9 billion-a-year bottled water market.

Coke says its Dasani water is treated in a highly sophisticated filtration process, perfected by NASA to purify fluids on spacecraft.

But why, British newspapers such as The Daily Mail asked Tuesday, should consumers pay up to $1.76 for 17 ounces of Dasani when it's based on London drinking water that costs 6 cents for the same amount?

Dasani, which was launched in Britain last month, uses municipal water at Coca-Cola's factory in Sidcup, southeast London.

The FSA's guidelines state the term "pure" should only apply to "single ingredient foods or to highlight the quality of ingredients."

Since Dasani takes tap water, a pure product, removes material through purification, then adds calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate for taste, it may not be allowed to be called "pure," he said.

The same purification process is used for the Dasani water that Coke has sold in the United States since 1999. Dasani is the second-best seller in the bottled water market there, behind a similar purified water product — Aquafina — made by Pepsi-Cola Co.

According to a company Web site, "To create Dasani, Coca Cola bottlers start with the local water supply which is then filtered for purity using a state-of-the-art process called reverse osmosis.

"The purified water is then enhanced with a special blend of minerals for a pure, fresh taste."