The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has filed an appeal and a motion to stay execution of action of the judgement against it by the Igbosere High Court, ordering the Agency to compel the Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, Plc, to carry a mandatory warning on its Fanta and Sprite products, stating that the contents should not be taken with Vitamin C in order to avoid poisoning.

Meanwhile, the NBC has allayed fears of consumers about its products including Sprite and Fanta, saying they are safe for human consumption.

Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, who stated this through a text message from Vienna, Austria, observed that the agency is a national regulatory authority and would react both scientifically and legally to the matter at hand.

“Our lawyer has filed an appeal and a motion to stay execution of action of the judgement also filed. I am in Vienna at the moment at the 60th session commission on Narcotics drugs. Thank you for your understanding,” she noted.

The court judgement was delivered in a suit involving Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited and Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo versus The NBC & NAFDAC.

The Court had awarded a N2 million cost against NAFDAC, declaring that the Agency failed Nigerians by certifying fit for human consumption products (Fanta and Sprite) that were later tested and declared unfit for human consumption in the United Kingdom.

Reacting to the development, the NBC, said it has also appealed the Court judgement, noting “There is no truth in the report that these products would become poisonous if consumed alongside Vitamin C.”