If you bought the popular blackcurrant concentrate drink Ribena recently, especially if it was from across the causeway, do check whether it belongs to the batches that were being recalled from shop shelves in Malaysia.
Japanese beverage manufacturer Suntory has voluntarily withdrawn specific batches of Ribena, according to a press statement issued on Monday (Aug 14).
The products recalled are:
– Ribena concentrate with the flavours Blackcurrant Regular, Blackcurrant & Glucose in pack sizes of 600 ml, one-litre and two-litre sizes with expiry dates from May to Aug 2018.
– One-litre bottles of Ribena Blackcurrant & Strawberry, and Blackcurrant & Blueberry, with the expiration dates of Feb to March 2018.
– Blackcurrant & Apple flavour with expiration dates between April and May 2018.
The reason cited for the withdrawal was that preliminary investigations revealed that the product had been exposed to air during the bottling process. This causes the drinks to expire earlier.
Suntory's regional general manager for Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, Lee Hon Tong said in the press statement that the decision to withdraw the products from retailers, warehouse and distributors was made in order to not compromise the quality of the products. “Although not every bottle is affected, consumers are advised to not drink the beverage if it appears unusual, tastes or smells sourish,” he added.
At the same time, consumers are advised that Ribena ready-to-drink products – such as sparkling Ribena, pouch pack, packet drinks and PET Bottles and Ribena pastilles – are not affected and still available for purchase.
Further investigations are ongoing, and the production for Ribena Concentrate products has been paused until investigations are completed, which will happen early next week.