Two of the cola’s ingredients – kola nut and coca leaf – are the same botanical ingredients used to make cocaine. However, the addictives are removed beforehand, and the drink has no health risks, according to the company.
The ban in Germany began last Friday when a food safety institute in North-Rhine Westphalia discovered minuscule traces of the drug in samples.
“The institute examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine,” said Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment reported that the amount of cocaine was too low to pose a health risk, but the country is still considering a nationwide ban.
“The cola isn’t harmful, but it violates food law,” said Thomas Schulz, a spokesman for the Thuringian Ministry for Health, Family and Social Affairs.
Source: AFN
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