Japan firm recalls 8 million bottles of U.S. mineral water

TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese firm recalled eight million bottles of U.S. mineral water on Monday after consumers complained it smelled like insecticide and medicine.

The case is the latest food scare in Japan, where consumer confidence has been shaken after several people complained of becoming ill from eating Chinese-made dumplings containing insecticide and instant noodles that had a chemical used in mothballs.

Otsuka Beverage Co Ltd, which is unlisted, said it is recalling the Crystal Geyser mineral water after receiving 75 complaints in October about its smell.

Spokesman Kazuhiko Horiuchi said the firm did not find any abnormalities in the water, but the plastic bottles may have absorbed smells they were exposed to during storage.

He said no one had been made ill and the company saw no health effects.

The water's manufacturer, CG Roxane LLC, gives a contact address in San Francisco on its website. It also lists locations of springs across the United States where the water is obtained and says the water can be kept for several years but is best stored in an odor-free environment.

Japan has been hit by a string of food safety scandals in recent years, after traditional sweets and cookies were found to have false labeling and tainted food, such as frozen dumplings and beans, were found to be imported from China.

Last month, Kirin Beverage, part of Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings, recalled over half a million bottles of French mineral water Volvic after finding some of it smelled like paint.