FCCPC accuses Coca Cola Nigeria of misleading trade description, unfair marketing tactics 

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has accused Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd and the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) of misleading trade descriptions and unfair marketing tactics in their products “Original Taste” and “Less Sugar.”

According to the FCCPC, both companies violated sections 116 and 124 of the FCCPC Act by misleading consumers into believing that “Coca-Cola Original Taste” and “Coca-Cola Original Taste Less Sugar” were not materially different in formulation.

The FCCPC’s investigation, which began in 2019, also revealed that NBC used identical packaging for both “Zero Sugar” and “50:50” variants of Limca Lime-Lemon, violating several sections of the FCCPA and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act.

Despite regulatory intervention, the companies failed to rectify their misleading practices, indicating intentional misrepresentation.

The FCCPC issued its Final Order on July 29, 2024, outlining these findings and reserving further regulatory actions and penalties for abuse of dominance and other violations.