The error was created when cans of regular Minute Maid were placed in cartons labelled Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade. These were then shipped to retail stores in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
The recall affected 13,152 cartons, which contain 12x 12 oz cans. Coca-Cola Consolidated, which started the recall in September, says all affected products are now off the market.
Minute Maid Lemonade – an extension to Coca-Cola's Minute Maid fruit drink brand – is made from a 12% juice blend of lemon from concentrate.
A 12 oz can of regular Minute Maid Lemonade contains 25.5g of added sugar. The drink is made with high fructose corn syrup, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, coming in at 105 calories per serve.
Zero sugar drinks are often selected by people trying to reduce their calorie intake, but are also important for diabetics who need to limit their sugar intake.
The recall has been classified as Class II: which is defined by the FDA as ‘a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote’.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Consolidated said: "In September, Coca-Cola Consolidated voluntarily recalled a limited quantity of Minute Maid Lemonade 12oz cans in parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. No impacted product remains in the market, and all recall activities in those markets are complete."
The Minute Maid brand now includes Aguas Frescas, Minute Maid Pulpy, 100% Orange Juice, lemonades and juice drinks. Minute Maid's zero sugar versions are the only zero juice drinks in Coca-Cola's portfolio, and described as a 'key growth driver' for the Minute Maid brand.
