Shinkansen bento: 15 million sold with false labels
15 million food items with expired dates have been for sold on Japan's Shinkansen trains. The catering firm is a subsidiary of Central Japan Railway Co. They claim that they have not received any complaints of health problems stemming from the expired box lunches, sandwiches and other food items.
Catering company president Takeshi Tategami apologized for "undermining public trust," saying the false labeling "became habitual due to familiarization of the process."
That's a poor excuse.
The company sold a lot of expired items - as much as 30 percent of what were sold between April 2005, when the company shortened its period for safe consumption of the products, and February 2008, when the false labeling came to light - according to Kyodo. If you have eaten a dodgy Shinkansen bento, why not write them a letter.
Rules for "Shelf life", "Best before" dates and "Consume before" dates are clearly stipulated in Japan's food safety legislation. It doesn't mean the bentos are unsafe, but rather that there is no guarantee of safety. Thus, they should not be sold - and false labeling is certainly a crime.
If you find cases of false labeling, or other problems with food safety, you can notify the government's 110 hotline for food safety.
消費期限 (Shouhi kigen) means "Consume before".
賞味期限 (Shoumi kigen) means "Best before" or "At least good until" or "Taste-is-OK-until" or "Shelf life".
Comments
Or tax evasion scandal.
Or abuse of position scandal.
Why do all of these old men in suits think they can get away with these white collar crimes for so long and then come 100% clean when they eventually get caught? It makes me shake my head in wonder.
On the other hand, bento boxes have perhaps become too complex, with such a variety of ingredients. Mixing meat and fish in the same box is not a great idea, for example, as there are cross-contamination risks.
If there are no consequences, there will be no change of behavior.