Coca-Cola settles in benzene lawsuit

Coca-Cola has reformulated two of its soft drinks in the US to halt a lawsuit alleging they may contain the cancer-causing chemical, benzene.

Coca-Cola,, while still denying the allegation, said it changed formulas in its Vault Zero and Fanta Pineapple drinks last September to minimise benzene formation, the settlement document says.

The move means Coca-Cola joins several other soft drinks makers who have reformulated products to avoid benzene litigation. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola's arch-rival, still has action against it pending.

Benzene is a known carcinogen and concerns over its presence in drinks went public last year. Coca-Cola has agreed that it will no longer sell Vault Zero or Fanta Pineapple with both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, which under certain conditions, can create the formation of benzene.