BRASILIA, June 4 (Reuters) - A plant owned by Brazilian

soft drink firm Solar, which produces for Coca-Cola, had

a fault in its cooling system detected, leading production and

bottling to be suspended as a precautionary measure, Brazil's

government said on Wednesday.

Production was halted after authorities established a liquid

used in the cooling process had come in contact with products

being manufactured, Brazil's agriculture ministry said, in

reference to an on-site inspection of the plant in Ceara state.

The liquid in question contains food-grade alcohol that does not

pose a high health risk and does not contain toxic substances,

the ministry added in a statement.

All of the products that may have been compromised remain in the

company's inventory, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro told a

press conference in Brasilia, adding that there was no risk that

the affected products could have reached supermarkets.

According to the ministry, the production suspension will be

maintained until Solar enforces the necessary corrections and

proves the elimination of all risks in the production process,

which may occur as early as today.

Samples from about 9 million liters of soft drinks await

laboratory analysis, which should be concluded in five days, the

ministry said.

Solar and Coca-Cola did not immediately respond to requests

for comment.