Coca-Cola clarifies Valpre water’s country of origin amid consumer concerns

COCA-Cola has clarified that Valpre, a well-known bottled water brand, is “proudly bottled from source” in Lagerspoort, Heidelberg, South Africa, following concerns raised by consumers about the country of origin and the authenticity of Valpre water sold in South Africa.

This comes after the National Consumer Commission (NCC) proactively engaged the Coca-Cola company to seek clarity on the matter as a result of the confusion on barcodes on the bottles.

The product, in question, carries a barcode: 5449000107664, which aligns with the Global Standards 1 (GS1) system — an internationally recognised standard for product tracking and identification.

In a statement on Friday, Coca-Cola further explained that the company used 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 and 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.

Hardin Ratshisusu, the NCC’s acting Commissioner, said the statement issued by Coca-Cola clarified the confusion that might have been created by using different coding systems.

“As the country grapples with foodborne illnesses, it is important for suppliers to promptly respond to questions of labelling of foodstuffs especially when the authenticity of products is brought into question,” Ratshisusu said.

“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.”

BUSINESS REPORT