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SINGAPORE: The makers of Ribena have been fined in New Zealand after the popular drink turned out to contain almost no vitamin C.
A pair of 14-year-old schoolgirls exposed the false claim after testing the drink as part of a science project.
Advertisements for Ribena had claimed that its blackcurrants have four times the vitamin C of oranges.
Maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been fined S$235,000 (US$156,000) for misleading advertising.
It said it did not deliberately set out to mislead consumers and blamed faulty testing methods.
GSK in Singapore said the products here do contain what they claim.
Nonetheless, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority in Singapore will still test the product to determine the actual level of vitamin C.
Ribena drinks sold here are manufactured in Malaysia and the Philippines.
- CNA/so
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