A false alert has been circulating about U-FRESH juice for several days in WhatsApp groups in the Central African Republic. This information has caused widespread astonishment and strong reactions.
According to the widely shared information in WhatsApp groups, this juice was supposedly shipped from Ghana via Tanzania and allegedly caused the deaths of 180 people. This is false information that should be treated with caution.
The post includes the following caption: “Hello! Please pass this message to your friends and family. Do not buy or drink the sachet juice called U-FRESH. Customs officials say it was shipped from Ghana via Tanzania, where it killed 180 people. It contains a toxic chemical. Please share this message and save millions of lives. If you don’t believe it, check Google.”
However, this information is entirely baseless. The juice is also produced in the Central African Republic, 18 km from Bangui on the Boali road, by a Chinese company named ÉTOILE SARL, which is legally registered with the Central African authorities.
Verification
Thierry Patrick Akoloza, Minister of Trade and Industry, interviewed by Centrafrique Check, pointed out that: “The company ÉTOILE SARL, which produces juices in Danzi, meets the criteria of a local food-producing company. But this information is false.”
When asked about the expiration and toxicity of U-FRESH juice, already circulating in the Central African Republic, Brice Koyaga Ndaya, Head of Standardization and Conformity Assessment at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, denied the claims:
“The Ministry of Trade and Industry recognizes the existence of this company in the CAR. We base our assessments on product analysis results from the ‘LAVOISIER’ laboratory at the University of Bangui, which provides us with information on the toxicity and expiration of products. I have seen the lab results related to these products, and nowhere does it indicate that they are harmful.”
Centrafrique Check was able to contact Daniel Ngueremi, Senior Inspector and Deputy Director General of External Services of the Central African Customs, who responded: “This is a non-issue; is it the customs that handle communication in this country? Let people tell their stories.”
Syntiche Ouamoundjou, an interpreter for ÉTOILE SARL, refuted the information: “This is fabricated information with no scientific basis. ÉTOILE SARL is a Chinese company established in the Central African Republic with the authorization of Central African authorities, aimed at helping the Central African population in general, and the youth in particular, to reduce the unemployment rate in the CAR. We have not received any complaints from consumers. Claiming that this juice contains a toxic chemical is an unfounded lie.”
“We don’t love our country. This company is here to help young people earn their daily bread, and a troublemaker comes along just to tarnish its image for no reason. We’ve never heard such information; it’s false news spread in bad faith,” said Ouangoumon Alexis, president of the youth of Ndanzi, 18 km from Bangui in the Bégoua commune.
Sandra Merline Kpem, a consumer, also refuted the information: “I have already consumed this juice, and I have never noticed anything wrong. So it’s better for those spreading misinformation to find something else to do rather than continuing to misinform,” she emphasized.
As part of our fact-checking process, our editorial team was able to consult the physicochemical, organoleptic, and microbiological analysis report of U-FRESH fruit juice samples from the Biological and Agronomic Sciences Laboratory for Development at the University of Bangui, a copy of which we have. Nowhere does it state that this juice contains toxic chemicals.
To separate fact from fiction regarding the belief that U-FRESH juice allegedly killed 180 people, we conducted a keyword search (“U-FRESH juice toxic”) on Google. Among the search results, we found a fact-checking article from “leFaso.net” published on August 12, which pointed out that this rumor began in 2015. According to the fact sheet, in a publication by the Cameroonvoice.com newspaper, during a press conference held on September 28, 2016, in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, Shen Quiang, the general manager of U-Fresh, denounced the erroneous information claiming that U-Fresh juice contained harmful substances. He further insisted that “it was his competitors who feared the competition.”
This information surfaces in a context where U-FRESH branded juice samples are circulating in markets and several localities in the CAR. These products are manufactured by the Chinese company ÉTOILE SARL, established in the CAR since June 6, 2024, under a 40-year contract with the Central African government. In this context, dubious publications and rumors about the toxicity and expiration of these products are resurfacing.
Verdict
It should be noted that this false alert started in 2015. After verification, the information claiming that U-FRESH juice, already circulating in the Central African Republic, contains a toxic chemical is false.
