The blackcurrant cordial products have reportedly been withdrawn all over Malaysia because of a manufacturing error.
The manufacturer, Suntory Beverage and Food Malaysia Sdn Bhd, had voluntarily recalled certain batches of the product due to suspected exposure to air during the bottling process.
This was a precautionary measure taken internally to ensure that the product quality and consumers’ safety would not be compromised because exposure to air could cause the drink to expire earlier.
All pack sizes of Ribena Concentrate products were recalled from retailers, warehouses and distributors effective 12 August.
Suntory has also stopped production of the products at the contract manufacturing facility until all ongoing investigations are complete.
The Ribena ‘casualties’ include Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant Regular (expiry from May to August 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Glucose (May to August 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Strawberry (February to March 2018), Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Blueberry (February to March 2018) and Ribena Concentrate Blackcurrant & Apple (April to May 2018).
However, the good news is the other ready-to-drink Ribena products, including Sparkling Ribena, pouch pack, packet drinks and PET Bottles and Ribena pastilles, were not affected.
So if you’re dying for some blackcurrant goodness, these are still available for purchase!
“Although not every bottle is affected, consumers are advised not to drink the product if it appears unusual, tastes or smells sourish or if they are in doubt of the quality of the product,” Suntory said in a statement.
But if you’re still unsure about the quality of the Ribena concentrate drink you bought recently, you can speak to a representative at the Ribena Malaysia Facebook page, email them at [email protected] or call the customer hotline at 1-800-88-6200.