Coke Zero Banned in Venezuela for Serious Health Concerns

Coca Cola might be one of the best-selling soda brands in the world, but that’s not to say that its many variants are welcome all across the world to the same extent. The Venezuelan government is urging Coca Cola to pull its Coke Zero beverage off the market for posing yet unspecified health dangers to the citizens of the country, a Reuters report says.

Coke Zero was launched in Venezuela in April and it stumbled across serious obstacles ever since it was introduced on the market, with the regional bottler facing a wave of complaints from workers, the same report says. Given the heavy nationalization promoted by the government and Hugo Chavez, as well as the intense scrutiny in all American businesses, the request to have Coke Zero withdrawn should not come as a complete surprise, it is being suggested.

Still, that does not explain why the health dangers it poses are not made public, it is further alleged. Health Minister Jesus Mantilla, for one, is adamant that production for the relatively new soft drink be ceased altogether, while the remainder of bottles in stores and supermarkets be pulled off the shelves. “The product should be withdrawn from circulation to preserve the health of Venezuelans.” Mantilla told a local news agency, as quoted by Reuters. Coca Cola has not yet responded in any way to the request.

Even with this setback, Coca Cola continues to be a favorite with most consumers. As we were also telling you a short while back, the company launched a new, admittedly healthier variant in Japan, a country where it is the market leader by far. Coming to meet increasing demand from the public, but also to counteract similar plans from rival Pepsi, the soft drink giant launched a green tea flavored Cola that will reportedly target healthy-conscious young women who are not willing to compromise great taste for a healthy beverage.

“We wanted to cater to people who are looking for something that tastes good but is also good for health and beauty.” Katsuya Sato, a spokesperson for Coca Cola Japan, was saying at the time, stressing that the new drink included antioxidants called catechins – common in tea – which made it many times healthier than the plain version.