By Judith Nyuke
Delta Beverages has defended its product quality and manufacturing standards after a Harare man took the company to court alleging he found foreign objects in a bottle of Coca-Cola.
The complainant, Shepherd Mukonomera (34) told the court he allegedly discovered what he described as worms inside a 300ml Coca-Cola bottle purchased from a street vendor.
The first accused in the matter is Violet Musandukwa while Delta Beverages is cited as the second accused and is being represented by Chenai J Chawafambira.
The pair appeared before Lisa Mutendereki facing charges of contravening the Public Health Act.
Prosecutors allege that on 19 October 2023 at around 17:00, Mukonomera bought the soft drink from Musandukwa at 62 Mbuya Nehanda Street in Harare.
Court papers state that after consuming part of the beverage, Mukonomera allegedly noticed foreign objects in the bottle and spat out the contents before reporting the matter to police.
The remaining substance was later submitted to a forensic laboratory for examination.
However, Delta Beverages strongly denied the allegations saying the authenticity of the product could not be confirmed because counterfeit beverages are common on the market.
The company told the court that its production systems meet internationally recognised Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards designed to prevent contamination.
Delta Beverages further said all Coca-Cola products are manufactured in a highly automated and sealed environment making contamination during production “physically impossible”.
The matter was postponed to 18 May for continuation of trial proceedings.
