Over one lakh packets of sliced bread were recalled in Japan after the manufacturer Pasco Shikishima said that rat remains were found inside some loaves, as per a report in the Independent. The company is now investigating how parts of “a small animal” got inside two packets of sliced bread. Pasco Shikishima further informed that no one has reported falling ill after consuming the sliced white Chojuku bread.

“We would like to apologise deeply for causing trouble to our customers and clients. We will strengthen our quality management system to ensure there won’t be a recurrence,” the company said in a statement.

They added, “We will recall the products below that were produced on the same factory line and halt the line in question in the meantime to determine the cause and implement countermeasures. We express our sincere gratitude for your exceptional choice of our products.”

The firm stated that they were discovered in a batch of white “chojuku” bread, which is a type of hyper-fermented bread with an exceptionally chewy texture, produced by a plant located in the western prefecture of Tokyo. The factory in Tokyo has been suspended and a probe has also been ordered.

Notably, there have been other food scares in Japan in recent years besides this recall. As per a report in CNN, several deaths in March prompted Japanese health officials to request the recall of three nutritional supplements made by large pharmaceutical manufacturer Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. Over a hundred other people were hospitalised.

According to Reuters, food supplier Warabeya Nichiyo said in August last year that two cases of cockroaches were discovered in rice balls it supplied to a 7-Eleven convenience shop in Saitama, north of Tokyo.

Tokyo:

More than 100,000 packets of sliced bread have been recalled in Japan after parts of a black rat’s body were discovered inside two of them, the manufacturer said Wednesday.

Food recalls are rare in Japan, a country with famously high standards of sanitation, and Pasco Shikishima Corporation said it was investigating how the rodent remains had crept in to its products.

The company said it was so far unaware of anyone falling sick after eating its processed white “chojuku” bread, long a staple of Japanese breakfast tables.

Around 104,000 packs of the bread have been recalled in mainland Japan, from Tokyo to the northern Aomori region.

“We would like to apologise deeply for causing trouble to our customers and clients,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Then on Wednesday, Pasco confirmed that parts of a black rat had contaminated the two packs.

They were produced by the breadmaker at a factory in Tokyo, whose assembly line has been suspended pending its probe, Pasco said.

“We will strengthen our quality management system to ensure there won’t be a recurrence,” it added.

Cleanness and hygiene are taken seriously in Japan, but food poisonings and recalls occasionally make headlines.

Last year, convenience store chain 7-Eleven apologised and announced recalls after a cockroach was found in a rice ball.

The latest health scare scandal in Japan was over the recall by drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical of dietary supplements meant to lower cholesterol.

The firm said last month it was probing five deaths potentially linked to the products containing red yeast rice, or “beni koji”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)