More than 600 students and others got sick after drinking milk provided for school lunches in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Thursday, a tally by Kyodo News showed Friday.
Morinaga Milk Industry Co. said the milk was produced by a subsidiary and was supplied to 258 elementary and junior high schools located in 12 cities and towns in the prefecture. Shipments of the milk were stopped after the incident came to light.
In Sendai, capital of Miyagi, 337 students reported stomachache, diarrhea and vomiting, but none are reported to be in a serious condition, according to the local school board.
The milk in question was produced at Tohoku Morinaga Milk Industry Co.'s Sendai plant on Wednesday, with its best-before date set at May 3.
Morinaga Milk said it did not find any safety issues in the products returned by the schools, as well as in samples that had been preserved. The company apologized and vowed to look into the cause of the incident.
