Coca-Cola widens soft drinks recall in Japan

By staff reporter

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Soft drinks Coca-cola Energy drink

Coca-Cola has expanded its recall of soft drinks in Japan to nearly
2.4m bottles, after more drinks were thought to be contaminated
with iron powder.

The move, announced by Coca-Cola Japan, marks an escalation of the problem, following the company's decision to recall more than half a million bottles of soft drinks last week.

The iron powder is thought to have leaked into drinks from defective equipment at one of Coca-Cola's factories in Japan.

The problem shows just how quickly a glitch in the manufacturing system can cause havoc further down the line.

The number of drinks varieties potentially contaminated has gone from six to 27 in the last week. These include flagship Coca-Cola and Fanta brands, as well as popular local drink Qoo and Aquarius bottled water.

The firm has apologised to consumers and reportedly promised to stop the problem recurring, although it assured there was no health risk for consumers, even if they drank affected drinks.

The decision to recall, in spite of this, reveals how quality lapses can still affect public opinion of a product even if no health risk is involved.

A 1998 journal article written by John Packman, then Coca-Cola's food lawyer, advised that a recall was often in a company's long-term interest.

He said this was because it enhanced the company's 'responsible' reputation, could minimize negative publicity, focuses the company on improving manufacturing practices, could limit the potential for liability lawsuits and maintained the "invaluable and irreplaceable" goodwill the firm had built around its brand.

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