Maruha Nichiro Group, one of the top seafood companies in the world, announced on 29 Dec 2013 a product recall totaling 6,300,000 packages of frozen products manufactured in a domestic plant owned by its subsidiary – AQLI Foods Corporation. Products encompassed in the recall cover some 40 types of foods, primarily ranging from pizza to croquettes. The recall was issued after an analysis detected pesticides in samples which violate Japanese national MRLs.
Nationwide complaints about noxious odors emanating from Maruha Nichiro products have been received from customers since the middle of November. In response, the group sanctioned an authorized third party testing agency to conduct further tests to determine the source of these odors. Analysis detected malathion, an insecticide (not in common use in that factory), had contaminated some of the production lines. In one instance analysis of a contaminated croquette yielded results which indicated a pesticide residue concentration of 15,000 ppm, 1.5 million times higher than the maximum concentration according to the legal standard of pesticide residue.
Athough the negative health effects of malathion have been downplayed there have been reports of serious side-effects among consumers. The symptoms so far include vomiting and abdominal pain. Local public health authorities have also involved themselves in resolving the problem. After a through on-site inspection local authorities failed to find any traces of the pesticide and are now unable to ascertain the source of contamination. The possibility of foul play and deliberate sabotage is still being investigated at this stage.
During a press conference held on 29 Dec, presidents of both Maruha Nichiro and AQLI made formal apologies for damages caused. Furthermore, AQLI has ordered a suspension of daily operations of the involved plant to prevent a reoccurrence of the crisis.
As the leading seafood companies in Japan, Maruha Nichiro Group is engaged in both domestic and overseas markets. In Japan where food safety is considered a significant issue, this incident is likely to have a significant negative impact on its reputation among both domestic and foreign consumers.
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