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June 14, 1999
Web posted at: 5:41 p.m. EDT (2141 GMT)

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- The Belgian Health Ministry Monday said a recall had been extended to cover about 15 million cans and bottles of Coca-Cola drinks suspected of making more than 100 children ill in the past six days.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft drink company, last week had recalled 2.5 million bottles of Coke, Diet Coke and Fanta bottled in Ghent and Wilrijk, Belgium, and some batches of cans of Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite produced in Dunkirk, France.

A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola in Brussels declined Monday to confirm the 15 million figure. "We can't confirm it," Shelagh Kerr told Reuters.

She declined to provide any other figures but said the amount recalled represented only a "very limited proportion of our production" in Belgium.

Marc Pattin, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, said another 44 children had become ill with stomach pains on Monday, 42 of them at a school in Lochristi, near Ghent, northwest Belgium.

"We have had five or six cases of poisoning of young people who had stomach pain after drinking (the suspect beverages)," Pattin told Reuters.

Children at six schools have complained of headaches, nausea and shivering after drinking Coca-Cola beverages. Pattin said there had been other isolated cases of people who said they felt ill after consuming the suspect drinks.

Coca-Cola was investigating the problem and carrying out tests on the suspect batches, which were made in two factories in Belgium and one in France, Pattin said.

"They do not know yet what was the cause (of the illnesses)," he said.

It told schools and businesses to remove suspect cans and bottles from shelves and vending machines.

"We will continue to follow this very closely," he added, but said he did not know when a result could be expected from the company's tests.

Coca-Cola's Kerr said tests by the company had found there was nothing toxic in the beverages. She said there was an "off" taste or smell to the drinks.