Ribena Concentrate products withdrawn from shelves
KUCHING: Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia Sdn Bhd has confirmed that it made a voluntary decision to withdraw specific batches of Ribena Concentrate products of all pack sizes from warehouses, distributors and retailers beginning last Saturday.
A statement issued from Kuala Lumpur said the decision was made after they found indications that a bottling machine was faulty, which allowed air to enter random bottles that might result in selected batches not meeting their strict quality standards of the brand.
“A preliminary investigation of the manufacturing process has led us to suspect that the product was exposed to air during the bottling process.
“This appears to cause the product in random bottles to potentially deteriorate in quality earlier than the expiry date,” it said.
The company informed that specific batches of products being withdrawn, so as not to compromise product quality, are as follows :
1) RIBENA® Concentrate Blackcurrant Regular ( 600ml, 1L, 2L packs) Expiry Date — May to Aug 2018
2) RIBENA® Concentrate Blackcurrant & Glucose ( 600ml, 1L, 2L packs) Expiry Date - May to Aug 2018
3) RIBENA® Concentrate Blackcurrant & Strawberry (1L pack) Expiry Date — Feb to Mar 2018
4) RIBENA® Concentrate Blackcurrant & Blueberry (1L pack) Expiry Date - Feb to Mar 2018
5) RIBENA® Concentrate Blackcurrant & Apple (1L pack) Expiry Date — Apr to May 2018
“Although not every bottle is affected, consumers are advised not to drink the product if it appears unusual, tastes or smells sourish or if they are in doubt of the quality of the product.
“Consumers who are unsure of the quality of the product are encouraged to contact our customer hotline at 1- 800- 88- 6200 for more information,” it said.
It also mentioned that further investigations, including what is causing the product quality deterioration, are still ongoing and should be completed by early next week.
“We have also halted production of Ribena Concentrate products at the contract manufacturing facility until all investigations are fully completed. Currently, consumers may find that their beloved Ribena Concentrate is not available for purchase.
“We regret this inconvenience, but as product quality and consumer wellbeing come first for us, we believe this voluntary product withdrawal from warehouses, distributors and retailers is crucial.
“Rest assured that we are working hard to resolve the issue urgently and hope to have the Ribena Concentrate back on the shelves very soon.” it said.
It nonetheless assured consumers that Ready-To-Drink products such as Sparkling Ribena, Pouch Pack, Packet Drinks, PET Bottles and Pastilles are not affected.
“The range continues to be available. Members of the public can keep track of our updates on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/RibenaMalaysia/ or call our customer hotline at 1- 800- 88- 6200 for more information,” it said.
It also said if customers are unable to get through on the hotline, they can also contact the company via email at mysuntory@ suntory.com, or PM them on the Facebook page.