NEARLY 30,000 plastic bottles of Strathmore mineral water have been withdrawn from sale following complaints about mould in some of them.
The UK-wide alert came after the substance was found inside a number of half-litre and one-anda-half litre bottles of Strathmore's still mineral water in plastic bottles delivered to Costco, the cashand-carry chain.
The affected batches involved bottles produced between the end of July and the end of August. Thousands more bottles are believed to have been put into quarantine at the firm's base in Forfar, Angus.
Some 40 complaints from customers across the UK were made about mould in 500ml bottles between the end of July and August 11. There was then a further complaint about a one-andhalf litre bottle in midSeptember.
Angus Council raised the alert with the Food Standards Agency following complaints received from local authorities across the UK. The FSA said it did not believe there was a risk to health.
The withdrawal and "point of sale" product recall warnings were said to be a precautionary measure by AG Barr, which took over the mineral water company in June in a GBP15m deal.
AG Barr, which also produces Irn Bru, said the problem was caused by a faulty filter used in the production of the bottles which has now been replaced. Production was continuing as normal, it said.
Jonathan Kemp, commercial director of AG Barr, said an independent analysis carried out on behalf of the firm after the first complaint was made found the mould was not harmful to human health.
He said: "It is a cosmetic thing. We are a business that prides itself in its quality and although we have only taken over the business recently, we wanted to know what had happened. In August, it was particularly hot, and those are the ideal conditions for mould to develop."
Emma Lane, of the FSA in Scotland, said: "It was more of a quality issue rather than a food safety issue.We believe the company has taken proportionate action."
LINKS
www. strathmore-water. co. uk
www. agbarr. co. uk
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