Tokyo – More than 100,000 packages of sliced bread have been recalled in Japan after the body parts of a black rat were discovered inside two of them, the manufacturer said on Wednesday. Food recalls are rare in Japan, a country with notoriously poor sanitation standards, and Pasco Shikishima Corporation said it was investigating how rodent remains got into its products.
The company said it was not aware of anyone falling ill until now after eating its processed white “chojuku” bread, a staple on Japanese breakfast tables.
Around 104,000 packages of bread have been recalled in mainland Japan, from Tokyo to the northern Aomori region.
Pasco Shikishima Corporation
“We would like to deeply apologize for causing problems to our customers and clients,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Pasco confirmed Wednesday that parts of a black rat had contaminated the two packages. They were produced by the bread maker at a factory in Tokyo, whose assembly line has been suspended pending an investigation, Pasco said.
“We will strengthen our quality management system to ensure there is no repeat,” he added.
Cleanliness and hygiene are taken seriously in Japan, but food poisoning and recalls sometimes make headlines. Last year, convenience store chain 7-Eleven apologized and announced recalls after a cockroach was found in a ball of rice.
The latest health scare scandal in Japan was the recall by pharmaceutical manufacturer Kobayashi Pharmaceutical of dietary supplements intended to lower cholesterol. The company said last month it was investigating five deaths potentially related to the products which contains red yeast rice, or “beni koji”.
