QUESTION:

Providing high quality and safe products to consumers the world over has always been Coca-Cola’s top priority. Coca-Cola Beverage Vietnam Ltd. (CCBVL) follows strict management policies and procedures to meet both our own stringent internal global standards and those set by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health.
We have an uncompromising commitment to product safety and quality. All ingredients used in our products – including caramel color – are safe.
Caramel color contains trace amounts of 4-MEI, a by-product of the caramelization process which is very similar to what occurs when many types of foods like coffee beans, cereal grains and other foods containing sugars are cooked or roasted. The [European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)/US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)] has reviewed the scientific evidence and concluded that 4-MEI does not represent a risk at the levels found in our beverages.
The levels of 4-MEI in caramel color have always been extremely low, and thanks to changes in the manufacturing processes, we’ve been able to reduce them even further. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), a person would have to drink more than a thousand cans of soda in a day to match the amounts used in the research studies on which health concerns about 4-MEI are based.
The safety of consumers and quality of our product are always of our top priority.