By Katie Davis T he Israeli company SodaStream is a company that sells in-home devices that turn still water into sparkling water by adding carbon dioxide using a pressurized CO2 canister. The system uses special carbonating bottles that users attach to the SodaStream device during the carbonation process. Well the company that makes the water carbonation machines said it was voluntarily recalling 51,000 bottles that were sold in the U.S. and another 7,600 that were sold in Canada due to a manufacturing defect. In a statement, the do-it- yourself seltzer and soda maker pointed out that the recall applies to a small fraction of the 13 million bottles it produced last year. On the Consumer Products Safety Commission website it says that, "The bottles can burst under pressure, posing an injury hazard to the user or bystanders." The recall only affects one- litre bottles that are tinted blue, marked dishwasher safe and have a blue plastic bottom and a blue cap that were sold between March and November of last year and have an April 2020 expiry date. The CPSC urges consumers to discontinue use of the bottles and contact the company for a refund. The Company said that there have been no reports of actual explosions or injuries that have been reported, but cus- tomers are being told to stop using the bottles immediately and contact the company for information on how to return the product for a refund.
This adds to the list of problems that SodaStream has been plagued with recently and a shift in consumer tastes away from soda has presented a challenge to the do-it- yourself soda maker.
But SodaStream enjoyed a resurgence last year as it shifted its focus from soda to sparkling water, plus the company is also branching into a do-it- yourself beer machine market to capitalize on the interesting popularity of craft beer, which has SodaStream stock up 200% over the last year.
14
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MARCH 2017
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker