Mazoe Orange Crush formula adulterated, boycott called

AMID market reports suggesting politics on social media where a campaign against Mazoe Syrups has been going on, Coca-Cola have come out to explain changes to formulation on their products.

Over the past month there have been a campaign to have consumers abandon the popular Mazoe products for being less sweet.

However, Coca Cola say they are following recommendations by several leading health authorities who are calling for a limit on consumption of sugar.

"The Coca-Cola Company has taken a global decision to do more when it comes to the issue of obesity. Around the world, eating and drinking less sugar is an increasingly important issue for many people. Sugar in both foods and beverages can be part of a balanced lifestyle if people don't have too much. We support the current recommendation by several leading health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), that people should limit their intake of added sugar to no more than 10 percent of their total energy/calorie consumption. We've begun a journey toward this goal, including reducing the sugar in our Mazoe Syrups and MAZOE ORANGE CRUSH."

While explaining the differences between the old products and what is available on the market now, Coca-Cola say they also take feedback seriously. They also explained why they did not run a campaign to inform the public of the changes.

"We have done so (awareness) through the product label for your convenience and transparency. This formulation has less sugar and contains low calories/non-nutritive sweeteners. There will be no price change because of the new formulation. We take our consumers feedback seriously and we kindly ask for consumers to share their suggestions with us to enable us to improve."

Asked whether by adding sweeteners, this will not affect the respective tastes of the Mazoe products, Coca Cola said:

"We undertook consumer taste testing for this product and the response has been positive. The sweeteners we use are some of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in the world, with scientific studies consistently confirming their use and safety. They have been confirmed as safe by globally recognized authorities and local regulatory bodies."

There are concerns that the sweeteners might not be healthy for both adults and children?

"We only use low and no calorie sweeteners that have been thoroughly tested in scientific studies and are considered safe, including for children and adults, by globally recognized authorities, including the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

"We believe that parents and guardians should decide what drinks make sense for their children. We also believe in providing people with a choice, which is why we offer a variety of great-tasting beverages with reduced, low or no sugar and calories. We also offer information about the ingredients in our drinks, including what makes them sweet, so people can make the choice for themselves and their families."

When the changes were made, there was a social media campaign that the sweeteners used cause cancer in the long run.

"The safety of the ingredients in our beverages is important to us. As low and no calorie sweeteners are key ingredients in some of our beverages, we're interested in all studies on them. According to experts, including from the American Cancer Society the research into this topic shows that low and no calorie sweeteners are safe for people to consume.

"We only use low and no calorie sweeteners that have been thoroughly tested in scientific studies and are confirmed as safe by globally recognized authorities, including FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and local regulatory bodies like Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe."

And on whether sweeteners affect pregnant women and unborn babies, Coca Cola said:

"Experts say diet soft drinks are safe for pregnant women. We recommend that anyone with questions about diet during pregnancy contact their doctor or midwife."