Image reproduced from 中央社

On June 25, FamilyMart Japan announced that its own brand of jasmine tea, "ひろがる芳醇 ジャスミン茶 1L," may have been contaminated with metal foreign substances. In response, the company will conduct an emergency recall of up to 2.27 million bottles across all its stores in Japan, except in Kyushu and Okinawa.

The recall was prompted by a customer who reported finding what appeared to be metal fragments in a bottle they purchased on June 20. Although the customer did not consume the product, they promptly reported the issue to the store, leading FamilyMart to initiate a rigorous inspection and comprehensive testing.

Initial examinations have not revealed any other adverse health responses, but to ensure consumer safety, the company has decided to recall all products within the same batch. The affected product is a one-liter bottle of jasmine tea with a cap marked with a expiration date of "March 2026" and a production identifier of "+HTF."

In light of this incident, FamilyMart stated that it will thoroughly review its packaging processes, enhance quality control measures, and re-evaluate the manufacturing facilities of suppliers to prevent similar incidents in the future. Despite not having received any confirmed health complaints, the company encourages consumers who have purchased the implicated products to handle them with caution to avoid accidental ingestion.

The announcement stipulates that customers who bought the affected product may bring the item or their purchase receipt to any FamilyMart store in Japan for a refund. A customer service hotline (0120-079-188) is also available for inquiries or to verify whether their product is subject to the recall. The refund process is straightforward: staff will verify the cap date and manufacturing label before issuing a full refund to customers.

FamilyMart emphasizes that this emergency recall is entirely a self-regulatory measure based on a strong commitment to product quality and responsibility for consumer health. Although no confirmed injury cases have been reported, customers who purchased the questionable product are urged to take prompt action.