Coca Cola from Casablanca was on sale in Liskeard this week – and the cans came complete with Arabic writing.

A can of the imported drink was bought for 48p from Barnecutt's Bakery in Fore Street – while one canned in England cost 45p almost opposite, at Liskeard News.

Barnecutt's Bakery explained cans had been supplied to them this week by their usual transport network supplier, Baker Western of Cullompton, Devon. The reason it ended up on Cornish, rather than Turkish, shelves is because of economics. It was part of a batch which was able to be purchased cheaper at a certain moment than the usual Coca Cola cans, canned at Uxbridge in Middlesex.

A spokesman for Coca Cola and Schweppes Beverages Ltd said that as long as the registered trademark bottle was depicted on the front of the can with the words 'always Coca Cola' the cans were genuine. The fact that they were covered in Arabic, as well as the French word 'toujours' and the Spanish 'siempre' simply means that they were imported.

Both English and Turkish cans have the same bar code and give 'best before' dates at the bottom, but the Turkish 'variety' fails to give an details about ingredients. It does, however have 'Don't litter, dispose properly' in English on the top of the can, whereas, strangely enough, this is absent on the English can.

A spokesman for Barnecutt's, who also have shops in Bodmin and Launceston, said that their suppliers deal with a range of bakeries throughout the South West region, and offer them the best price. They try to supply cans as cheaply as other local bakers who provide crisps and soft drinks in their shops. He said that economics were most likely to be the reason behind the Casablancan cans, as at the time they offered best price.

He felt it was, perhaps, a reflection on different wages paid throughout the world, which lead to imports being as cheap, or cheaper, than goods produced in this country.

A taste test carried out in The Cornish Times' offices proved that both Turkish and English cans contained identical tasting Coca Cola!

l Have you bought something unusual from a local shop? Write to us at: Cornish Times, Great Place, Liskeard, PL14 4BQ or phone our Newsdesk pn 01579 342174