More than 70,000 cans of Coca-Cola products have been urgently recalled

Coca-Cola has been forced to urgently recall more than 70,000 cans of its products.

The recall came after a health alert was issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the presence of contaminants in the drinks.

It was issued on 23 October, with two brands owned by Coca Cola being impacted by the issue.

The FDA put up the alert, which stated that the area being impacted by the recall was the Texas distribution area.

But why exactly has such an urgent recall been sent out for such a large number of cans?

A recall has been issued (vandervelden/Getty)

The document from the FDA states that it was due to the 'potential presence of foreign material (metal) in the product.'

Products that have been impacted by the recall include 12 and 35-packs of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, with 1115 units of this affected.

This is in addition to 35-packs of Coca-Cola, with 2322 units of this impacted by the recall.

Finally, there is the 35-packs of Sprite, which has 791 units that have been affected.

It's only products in the Texas area that have been affected by the recall. Within that area as well it is only certain UPC and lot codes which have been impacted.

Sprite has also been impacted by the recall (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

It is a very large recall as well, with the enormous operation being classified as a Class II recall.

This indicates that the risk of permanent harm is not as high as different classifications, but it nonetheless may still cause injury or harm to people who inadvertently consume the product.

The potential presence of metals in the drink carries a risk of choking, trauma to the digestive tract, as well even internal cuts.

Lawyer Monthly has described the recall as a 'terrifying lapse in quality control'.

Fortunately, no injuries have publicly been reported at the time of writing in connection with the product being recalled.

The recall was voluntarily issued by regional bottler Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, LLC.

These are the UPC and lot codes affected by this recall:

• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (12-pack) with UPC 49000042559 and lot code FEB0226MAA
• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (35-pack) with UPC 49000058499 and lot code FEB0226MAA
• Coca-Cola (24-pack) with UPC 49000012781 and lot code JUN2926MAA
• Coca-Cola (35-pack) with UPC 49000058468 and lot code JUN2926MAA
• Sprite (35-pack) with UPC 49000058482 and lot code JUN2926MAA
• Sprite (12-pack) with UPC 49000028928 and lot code JUN2926MAA or JUN3026MAB

In a statement to Today, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said the recall was 'small' and 'localized', and that it involved 'a very limited quantity' of the company's products.