Perrier was recalled in 1990 after benzene was detected in some bottles.
Perrier is a naturally carbonated mineral water bottled at its source in Vergèze, France. In 1990, benzene was detected in bottles distributed in the United States and other markets. The contamination was traced to a problem involving cleaning agents and the carbon dioxide used in the bottling process, rather than to the underground source itself.
The company recalled about 160 million bottles worldwide. Perrier stated that the issue was caused by a malfunction in the filtering system, and the recall became a major international food-and-drink safety story.
Benzene is a chemical associated with serious health risks, but the Perrier incident is often misstated as deliberate poisoning or contamination of every bottle. The recall concerned specific production and distribution circumstances, and it demonstrated how a problem in bottling equipment can affect a globally marketed product.