Japan

Consumer confidence rocked again following insect finding in baby food

By RJ Whitehead

- Last updated on GMT

Consumer confidence rocked again following insect finding in baby food

Related tags Infant Food

Japan’s novus annus horribilis continues following the recall of more than 120,000 pouches of baby food after a consumer found an insect in one package.

The news comes after McDonald’s Japan was forced to apologise following the discovery of a 4cm piece of vinyl and a human tooth were found in meals in two separate locations over the past week.

Japanese conglomerate Asahi Group announced it was recalling the batch of Wakodo meat and potatoes infant meals after the discovery of a dead cricket.

Wakodo, an Asahi subsidiary, received the complaint last month from a customer who bought the pack in Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, to the north of Tokyo. It was reported that  a 7mm insect was found inside the product.. 

Neither company yet knows if the contamination occurred as part of the manufacturing process, but acknowledged they had decided to recall the batch in the interests of safety.

No crickets have been found at its factory over the past year, it said. It is also unlikely for a cricket to be cooked and remain in complete form inside the pouch considering the heating and mixing procedures, it said.

"We deeply apologise to our customers for causing trouble and worry​," Wakodo said in a statement.

While Japan’s food safety record has traditionally been good, the latest incidents have rocked public confidence, with consumers having little tolerance of blunders. Companies that find they are on the wrong end of an episode will often require years of PR efforts to claw back their reputations due to general high expectations in the country.

Tokyo-based Wakodo, which joined Asahi Group in 2006, is considered to be a pioneer in Japanese baby products. sells products including infant formula, various baby food items, food for mothers during pregnancy, oral care products for the elderly, skin care products for babies and pharmaceuticals.

Related topics Business Food safety Japan East Asia

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