Coke's 1999 Issue

What seemed like an isolated incident of a few bad cans of Coca-Cola at a school in Belgium turned into near disaster for the soft drink giant’s European operations. In June 1999, Coke experienced its worst nightmare a contamination scare resulting in the recall of 14 million cases of Coke products in five European countries and huge blow to consumer confidence in the quality and safety of the world’s most recognizable brand. After the initial scare in Bornem, Belgium, Coke and Coca – Cola Enterprises (CCE), a thought they had isolated the problem. Scientists at the CCE bottling plant in Antwerp found that lapses in quality control had led to contaminated carbon dioxide that were used in the bottling of a recent batch of Coke. Company officials saw the contamination as minor problem and they issued an apology to the school. At the same time that the problems were being dealt with in Antwerp, things were breaking down at Coke’s Dunkirk, France, bottling plant. In Belsele, 10 miles from Bornem, children and teachers were complaining of illnesses related to drinking Coke products. The vending machines at the school were stocked with Coke from the company’s Dunkirk plant’s practices were being questioned. What initially seemed like an isolated incident was now a crisis.
Immediately following the second scare, Belgium’s Health Minister banned the sale of all precuts produced in the Antwerp and Dunkirk plants. Things got worse when Coke gave an incomplete set of recall codes to a school in Lochristi, Belgium, resulting in 38 children being rushed to the hospital. Immediately following this incident, French officials banned the sale of soft drinks produced in the Dunkirk plant. It was believed that fungicide on wooden shipping pallets were the cause of the illnesses at the Dunikrik plant. On June 15th, 1999, 11 days after the initial scare in Bornem, Coke finally issued an explanation to the public. Most Europeans were not satisfied. Coca – Cola