One of Japan’s famous bread brands is recalling around 104,000 packets of sliced white bread following the discovery of rat remains in its products.
Pasco Shikishima Corporation, a well-known name in Japanese households and supermarkets, found parts of a black rat in at least two packets, prompting the recall.
Despite the unsettling find, there haven’t been any reports of illness linked to the contaminated bread.
Pasco issued an apology, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to customers, business partners, and stakeholders.
The affected bread was produced at a factory in Tokyo, leading to the suspension of its assembly line.
While Pasco didn’t elaborate on how the rat’s remains entered their products, they vowed to enhance quality controls to prevent such incidents in the future.
The company has set up a refund application process on its website for affected customers.
Pasco’s bread is not only popular in Japan but also exported to countries like the US, China, Australia, and Singapore.
Although food recalls are uncommon in Japan due to strict sanitation standards, recent incidents like students falling ill after consuming school-supplied milk in Miyagi prefecture and a pharmaceutical company recalling cholesterol-lowering supplements due to potential health risks show that challenges can arise even in highly regulated environments.
Source-BBC
