NIGERIA – The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) has recalled two batches of its Eva Premium Table Water over quality concerns of the product.

This also follows a directive issued by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to withdraw the product from the market.

The company confirmed that the recall applied to the 75cl Eva packaged water produced between May 22 and 23 at its Asejire Plant in Ibadan, Oyo State after it voluntarily notified the regulator on the product’s quality.

According to a statement issued by NBC, it reported a change in colour of the product from colourless to light green in the batch and presence of particles to NAFDAC in June, 2019.

The statement further said that “NAFDAC has directed the Nigerian Bottling Company Limited to recall Eva Premium Table Water 75cl as a precautionary step pending investigation by the agency.

“The company voluntarily reported to NAFDAC on June 20, 2019, a change in colour of the product from colourless to light green and presence of particles in two lots,”

“We had commenced withdrawal of the affected batches which are 220519.14.27 AC4 and 230519.15.15 AC4, prior to the NAFDAC announcement and are cooperating with the Agency in their investigation.

“We regret the inconvenience this issue may have caused our consumers, and we request consumers in possession of products with the stated batch numbers to return them to our nearest offices or distributors/dealers for replacement.

“We confirm that there are no issues with other batches of our premium Eva Water and reassure our consumers of our commitment to highest quality standards, product safety and consumer satisfaction,” the company said in a statement.

In addition, NAFDAC said that the production of Eva Table Water 75cl at the Ibadan plant has been suspended pending the outcome of investigation being conducted by the Agency.

The agency also advised distributors, wholesalers and retailers to halt the distribution and sale of the affected Eva Premium Table Water 75cl and to return the batch of the affected product in their possession to the Company.

Eva Premium Table water is one of Nigeria’s popular brand of bottled water owned by Coca-Cola and manufactured by NBC, a franchisee of Coca-Cola.