Coca-Cola has said it does not sell in Vietnam a beverage it had to recall in China when one child died and three others became ill after drinking them late last month.
Nguyen Khoa My, public relations chief of Coca-Cola in Southeast Asia, told news website VnExpress December 7 that strawberry-flavored Pulpy Milky, a yogurt drink that caused nationwide concern in China, "is not sold in Vietnam."
It is made by Coca-Cola subsidiary Minute Maid.
My said Minute Maid only sells Nutriboost yoghurt in strawberry and orange flavors in Vietnam. "The products were developed just for Vietnam," he said.
He claimed that Minute Maid products were all safe since Coca-Cola had checked samples in Vietnam after the China incident.
AFP reported that a Chinese boy who drank a Pulpy Milky yoghurt drink died November 28 in Jilin Province, prompting a mass recall of the product.
Chinese authorities later said it was "a case of deliberate poisoning" after investigations found no other drinks contaminated either at the store or at Coca-Cola plants and distributors' places in the province.