MAHIKENG MAIL - MAHIKENG: Following concerns raised by consumers about the country of origin and the authenticity of the bottled Coca-Cola’s Valpre® water sold in South Africa - as a result of the confusion on barcodes on the bottles -, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) proactively engaged the Coca-Cola Company to seek clarity on the matter.
Coca-Cola has, in a statement issued last week, provided an explanation for Valpre®, a Coca-Cola product, that is proudly bottled from its source, at Lagerspoort, Heildelberg, in South Africa.
It carries the barcode: 5449000107664 which is part of the GS1 system, an international standard for product tracking, to identify and track products.
Coca-Cola further explained that the company uses internationally acquired GS1 barcodes and those acquired in South Africa for their products produced in South Africa.
Therefore, according to Coca-Cola, the bar-coding system is not entirely used to identify the country of origin on its products.
The Consumer Protection Act No.68 of 2008 requires that suppliers supply goods that are safe and of good quality in terms of Section 55, and where such goods are imported into South Africa these must have a label permanently affixed clearly indicating the country of origin in terms of Section 24(5).
Consumers are advised to look out for information such as a list of ingredients, date markings (including expiry dates), and country of origin when authenticating fast moving goods.
The NCC’s Acting Com-missioner, Hardin Ratshisusu said, “The statement issued by Coca-Cola clarifies the confusion that might have been created by using different coding systems. As the country grapples with foodborne illnesses, it is important for sup-pliers to promptly respond to questions of labelling of foodstuffs especially when the authenticity of products is brought into question. The NCC urges suppliers to step up efforts to educate consumers about the use of coding systems, especially in the light of the rise of foodborne illnesses in the country.”
