When 41 European school children became ill after consuming soft drinks two years ago, it touched off a 2.5 million bottle recall by Coca-Cola Enterprises Belgium. It also put the outside of beverage packaging under the harsh glare of public scrutiny. One industry response is hygienic caps for aluminum cans.
Consumer activists are pressuring the Italian government for a ban on pop-top aluminum cans, according to Giancamillo Spelta, marketing coordinator for Imola, Italy-based SACMI Group. An incident in which insecticide was splashed over pallets of aluminum cans added momentum to their crusade and prompted some firms to implement capping systems.