On 18 March 2004, the UK authorities found that a batch of bromate, a suspected human carcinogen, was contaminated at concentrations above the legal sales limit, despite the FSA announcing that the contamination posed “no immediate risk to public health”. Coca-Cola immediately recalled half a million bottles and removed the “Dasani” brand from the UK market. [9] The announcement comes just a week after the company pulled Dasani from UK stores when it was found that levels of bromate – a potentially carcinogenic compound – exceeded UK legal standards. But the entire batch was withdrawn today after the drink was found to contain levels of bromate – a substance linked to an increased risk of cancer – that were above UK legal standards. Last week, the company voluntarily recalled around 500,000 bottles of Dasani in the UK after samples were found containing bromate at higher concentrations than those legally allowed in the UK for bottled or tap water. (Full report) Coca-Cola, the maker of Dasani, informed the Food Standards Agency yesterday that some samples of their bottled water product contain Dasani bromate in higher concentrations than those legally allowed in the UK for bottled or tap water. “Through detailed analysis, we found that our product did not meet our quality standards. Due to the high bromide content of calcium chloride, a bromide derivative, bromate, has been formed to a level above British legal standards. This happened during the ozonation process we use in manufacturing. “Calcium is a legal requirement in all bottled water products in the UK, including Dasani. To provide the calcium we need, we add calcium chloride to the product. Government officials had contacted local authorities at Coca-Cola`s headquarters in west London and asked them to investigate whether the term violated labelling regulations.

(Full report) There was national outrage across the country when the press poured out Coca-Cola, charging the equivalent of about two US dollars for a bottle of tap water. Not only did Dasani never return to the UK coast, but it also had to cancel product launches in some other parts of Europe. The £7 million marketing campaign was in vain and, on top of that, the Coca-Cola Company lost Dasani`s market share to the £2.5 billion sold a year in bottled water. Billions of dollars were potentially lost because of a few bad weeks in early 2004. “We did not receive an order to withdraw the product, it was our decision because it did not comply with the regulations. Our consumers rightly expect our products to meet only the highest possible quality standards and all UK regulations. A 2018 study tested water bottles from all major bottled water brands, including Dasani, Evian, Nestlé and Aquafina. The researchers found that most of the bottles contained plastic microparticles so small that they were about the thickness of a human hair. A series of mocking articles drew comparisons between the sale of Coca-Cola-treated tap water in south-east London and an episode of the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses, in which “Del Boy” repackaged bottled tap water under the name Peckham Spring. This product expansion has helped Dasani Water become the second largest bottled water brand in the United States. It is also available in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South America.

In 2018 alone, Dasani earned over a billion dollars. “We demand strict compliance with all applicable regulations as well as our own safety and quality requirements. As a result, we manufacture some of the safest and highest quality products in the world,” the company said. She said: “Very, very large amounts (bromate) may affect your health, but we have been informed by the FSA that the levels of bromate detected in Dasani do not pose an immediate health risk.” Microplastics031TW” by Oregon Sea Grant is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 However, the FSA launched an investigation into the labeling claim after Dasani was found derived from tap water. Dasani, launched in 1999, was launched on the UK market in 2004 with great fanfare from the Coca-Cola Company, which has spent millions of pounds promoting its product. However, the British press and consumers were not impressed. After disturbing information about the product was made public, the BBC revealed that Dasani water had to be recalled after only a few weeks on the market. Coca-Cola stressed that there is no health risk to drinking bottles of Dasani.

A spokeswoman said the decision to recall British supplies of the drink was voluntary and a precautionary measure. Many newspapers that did not help Coca-Cola also reminded readers that while Dasani sells 95 pence per 500 ml, Thames Water, which supplies homes in the region of origin and bottling of the product, sells water for the equivalent of 0.03 pence per 500 ml. This meant that Dasani`s water was essentially the same as the water that came from the taps of British residents at home. Anyone with a house cleaner could have done it.