A major Japanese meat processor said yesterday it was recalling millions of packages of sausages and pizzas after finding cyanide in water at one of its plants.
Itoham Foods said in a public notice published in national newspapers yesterday that tests have found up to three times the government limit of cyanide in the well water normally used in the products.
The announcement was the latest in a raft of recalls following reports of contamination.
The industrial chemical melamine was found in a host of Chinese-made milk products last month, triggering massive recalls in dozens of countries, including Japan.
Separately, Japan’s top instant noodle maker, Nissin Food Products Co, announced domestic recalls on Friday of its Cup Noodle instant noodles after a woman grew sick from eating noodles that were later found to be tainted with an insecticide.
The latest recall covers nearly 2.7 million packages of sausages and pizza sold in Japan.
Itoham said it had detected large amounts of cyanide in the water at two of the three wells at its factory in Chiba, near Tokyo. Tests were still being carried out on sausages to see if they had been tainted.
Cyanide, often used in fertilizers, can seep into ground water, where small amounts are often found.
Itoham spokesman Yoshiro Matsuzaki said this was the first time in its 40 years of operation that the company had found unhealthy levels of cyanide in its wells.
The country’s second-biggest meat processor, based in Nishinomiya, western Japan, said it believed the products would not pose any risk to health if consumed.
The company said it has not received any reports of health problems and the recalls are voluntary.
“Please accept our sincere apology,” Itoham said in a statement. “We will do our utmost to prevent future problems and ensure product safety.”
At a news conference, Itoham senior managing director Shinichi Yamada apologized for the possible contamination and a delay in its announcement of the case.
“Our crisis management was insufficient. We would like to deeply apologize to our customers,” Yamada said, adding that the company, however, has so far received no reports of health problems.
Japan has been hit by several high-profile food scandals involving contamination and mislabeling, and the government is considering creating a new, specialized agency to monitor food and product safety.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
RSS