JAPAN:Tainted rice meant for industrial purposes was served in hospitals and homes for the elderly, the Japanese government said yesterday, prompting a criminal investigation into the food scandal.
The incident has unnerved consumers, whose trust in the food industry has been undermined in recent years by repeated quality and false labelling scandals involving foods from sweets to meat.
"At the moment, there have been no reports of health damage because the density of pesticide residues and mould is low," chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters.
He said that a criminal complaint had been filed against Mikasa Foods, which has apologised for selling the rice as higher-priced quality grain for food consumption when only industrial purposes such as its use in fertilisers or glue were allowed.
The Osaka-based company sold about 700kg (1,500lb) of Chinese sticky rice contaminated with higher than permitted levels of the organic pesticide methamidophos. It was subsequently used in meals served at 119 facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes and one nursery.
The scandal has also affected drinks-makers, including Asahi Breweries, which was forced to recall 650,000 bottles of shochu, a vodka-like drink, some of which was found to have been manufactured using the contaminated rice. - (Reuters)