The Tokyo plant has been suspended and a probe has also been ordered.
In Japan, more than a million packs of sliced bread were recalled after manufacturer Pasco Shikishima said rat remains were found in some loaves, according to a report in the Independent. The company is now investigating how parts of ‘a small animal’ ended up in two packs of sliced bread. Pasco Shikishima also said that no one has reported becoming ill after consuming the sliced white Chojuku bread.
“We would like to deeply apologize for causing problems for our customers and clients. We will strengthen our quality management system to ensure there is no recurrence,” the company said in a statement.
They added: “We will recall the products below that were produced on the same factory line and, in the meantime, shut down the affected line to determine the cause and take countermeasures. We express our sincere thanks for your exceptional choice of our products .”
The company stated that they were discovered in a batch of white “chojuku” bread, a type of hyper-fermented bread with an exceptionally chewy texture, produced by a factory in the western prefecture of Tokyo. The Tokyo plant has been suspended and a probe has also been ordered.
In addition to this recall, there have been other food crises in Japan in recent years. According to a report in CNNSeveral deaths in March prompted Japanese health officials to request the recall of three dietary supplements from major pharmaceutical manufacturer Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. More than a hundred other people were hospitalized.
According to Reuters, food supplier Warabeya Nichiyo said in August last year that two cases of cockroaches had been discovered in rice balls he supplied to a 7-Eleven supermarket in Saitama, north of Tokyo.
