Ribena producer to resolve suspected bottling issue

Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia says decision to withdraw batches of Ribena Concentrate products effective Aug 12 was made in order not to compromise product quality.

PETALING JAYA: The manufacturer of Ribena today said it has voluntarily withdrawn specific batches of the brand’s cordial drinks in Malaysia as a precautionary measure due to suspected exposure to air during bottling.

“A preliminary investigation of the manufacturing process has led us to suspect that the product was exposed to air during the bottling process,” said a statement by Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

“This appears to cause the product in random bottles to potentially deteriorate in quality earlier than the expiry date,” it said, adding that the move was an internal precautionary measure.

It said the decision to withdraw batches of Ribena Concentrate products of all pack sizes from warehouses, distributors and retailers effective Aug 12 was made so the product quality would not be compromised.

“Although not every bottle is affected, consumers are advised not to drink the product if it appears unusual, tastes or smells sourish or if they are in doubt of the quality of the product,” it added.

The company said further investigations, including on what was causing the product quality deterioration, were still ongoing and should be completed by early next week.

“We have also halted production of Ribena Concentrate products at the contract manufacturing facility until all investigations are fully completed,” it added.

The affected products are Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant Regular (expiry from May to Aug 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Glucose (May to Aug 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Strawberry (Feb to Mar 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Blueberry (Feb to Mar 2018) and Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Apple (Apr to May 2018).

The statement also said consumers may currently find that the Ribena Concentrate product was not available for purchase.

“We regret this inconvenience, but as product quality and consumer wellbeing comes first for us, we believe this voluntary product withdrawal from warehouse, distributors and retailers is crucial,” it said, adding that the company was working hard to resolve the issue.

It also said its ready-to-drink products such as Sparkling Ribena, Pouch Pack, Packet Drinks, PET Bottles and Pastilles were not affected.

Consumers unsure of the quality of their Ribena product can call Suntory’s customer hotline at 1-800-886200. - FMT