"Hand-made" food



The gyoza involved in the current food safety withdrawal here in Japan are marketed as "hand-made" (手作り) on the package. In this photo from the Japanese Consumer Co-Operative Union, we get a rare glimpse into the world of modern food production.

Factory-made would be more apt, but ok, the workers (who are paid about 15,000 yen per month, or less than 1/10 of Japanese wages) are actually using their hands. The protective gear is rather impressive.

Japanese Consumer Co-Operative Union has has a long history, dating back to 1919. They have an ambitious English website here, but news and details regarding the recall of contaminated frozen products is only published in Japanese on the JCCU.COOP website.

Comments

Pandabonium said…
Hmmm...is that protective gear to protect them from what's in the food? (just kidding).
10:08 pm, February 04, 2008
Pandabonium said…
Perhaps an employee who didn't get a 50 yen per hour raise, or a person in Japan who resents China. (Both also mentally ill). The more information that comes out, the more I think this is the act of one person. That is just speculation of course.
6:44 pm, February 05, 2008
Martin J Frid said…
"Cheap food" comes at a huge cost. I'm glad this stirs up debate here, but I feel sorry for all involved. Why food has to be so complicated!
10:39 pm, February 05, 2008
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