Japanese steamed over tainted-rice scam
By Catherine Makino
TOKYO - Consumer confidence in quality-conscious Japan has been badly shaken by
a scandal over contaminated rice that was discovered to have been imported and
distributed to restaurants, hospitals, schools and stores.
Taking responsibility for the scandal, Agriculture Minister Seiichi Ota and his
deputy Toshiro Shirasu resigned last week. "As the tainted rice became a big
social problem, I decided to take responsibility," Ota told reporters on
September 19.
Ota admitted that his ministry has long overlooked irregularities and,
as a result, unrest over food safety has developed among
consumers. ''We keenly feel the responsibility," he said.
Japan's handling of rice stocks also came under criticism several months ago
during what has been called a "world rice crisis" (See
Japan ducks rice-crisis solution
, July 18, 2008). In May, Japan released some of its imported rice stocks to
halt an alarming rise in world rice prices. But despite considerable
international pressure, the government took no further steps and rice prices
soon regained levels unaffordable by poor countries and poor consumers.
According to ministry officials, the discovered
tainted rice, imported from China, Vietnam and the United States, was meant for industrial
use such as making glue.
Chief cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura said there were, so far, no reports
of any adverse effects on health as the ''density of pesticides and mold is
low''. "But it is a serious problem that products unfit for consumption were
eaten in hospitals."
Despite the resignations, consumers are getting nervous and this is affecting
how they purchase food products.
Kanako Nakayama, a librarian in Tokyo, is one of them. "I must be more careful
about the food brands I buy. Before, I would buy cheap brands, but now I don't
mind buying expensive ones because my health is important. I do not trust the
dealers, trading companies or the government, especially the farm ministry,
anymore."
Many people are known to have consumed the rice said to be contaminated with
agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and carcinogenic mold. It was served as hot
meals in hospitals, special nursing homes for the elderly, and in nursery
schools.
Much of the blame has fallen on Mikasa Foods Company, which for 10 years has
been buying contaminated imported rice from the government then reselling it to
various food companies. A criminal complaint has now been filed against the
company.
A nationwide survey found that at least nine breweries used the tainted rice,
leading to the recall of one million bottles of shochu (liquor). Asahi
Breweries has recalled 650,000 bottles of shochu sold to supermarkets,
restaurants, and convenience stores from June 2008 onwards.
Confectionery companies have also recalled their products from shops around the
country.
Mikasa Foods, based in Osaka, distributed the tainted rice to 370 companies in
24 prefectures for edible purposes. That is more than four times the number it
originally said. Mikasa sold it to manufacturers of shochu, rice
crackers and other processed foods, according to the government. The list also
included 50 rice brokers, 154 sweets makers, 30 rice confectioneries, 10
breweries and five restaurant operators.
The list was slow in coming, but after mounting criticism that the ministry was
putting the interests of businesses ahead of those of consumers, Ota ordered
government officials to give the names of all concerned companies and
facilities.
Mikasa allegedly bought 2,594 tonnes of tainted rice from the government and
from trading houses. The pesticide contaminated stock included 800 tonnes of
Chinese rice, 598 tonnes of Vietnamese rice and 95 tonnes were from other
countries. Japan imports 60% of its food.
Only a few months ago there was a media blitz when dozens of Japanese people
became sick after they ate frozen dumplings, known as gyoza (See
Poisoned dumplings kill $500m merger, February 8, 2008). The
"pesticide-laced" dumplings were imported from China. Last year, confectioners
mislabeled the expiration dates on biscuits and rice cakes.
Nobuhiro Suzuki, an agricultural professor at the University of Tokyo, says
"Japan must import 77,000 tonnes each year even though domestic demand is
small. So, some may advocate that Japan decrease rice imports if there is not
enough demand for it."
Under an agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO), Japan is compelled
to buy 770,000 tonnes of rice annually as part of commitments at the Uruguay
Round of trade talks that ended in December 1993 to meet minimum market access
to exporting countries.
As C Peter Timmer, a professor with the Program on Food Security and
Environment and Stanford University, reported for Japan Focus in July:
Because
of its World Trade Agreement commitments (made under the Uruguay Round of
talks), Japan imports a substantial amount of medium-grain rice from the US and
long-grain rice from Thailand and Vietnam. Tokyo, however, seeks to keep most
of this rice away from Japanese consumers (perhaps fearing a realization that
the taste of foreign indica rice is not so bad, and a bargain compared with the
$3,900 per ton for locally produced short-grain varieties of japonica rice).
Under WTO rules, the government cannot re-export the rice, except in relatively
limited quantities as grant aid. So the Japanese government simply stores its
imported rice until the quality deteriorates to the point that it is suitable
only as livestock feed and sells it to domestic livestock operators. Last year,
about 400,000 tons of rice were disposed of in this manner, at a huge budget
loss and displacing an equal quantity of corn exports from the US, thus
displeasing another constituency, US corn growers.
According to
Tatsuya Kakita, author of many books on food safety, Mikasa Foods has been
buying 25% tainted rice from the government for years: ''They buy it very cheap
and then charge normal market prices.''
Kakita says Mikasa Foods is the perpetrator, but the ministry of agriculture,
forests and fisheries (MAFF) is to blame too. "MAFF is supposed to inspect and
trace where the rice ends up, but they didn't scrutinize it," Kakita told IPS.
"Mikasa Foods knew MAFF wouldn't verify its papers, so it was the best business
for them and the relationship grew between them.
Distribution of contaminated rice is a violation of the Food Sanitation Law.
"Rice is one of the major staples of the Japanese people and the pubic realizes
now that the government isn't reliable," Kakita said. "Their (people's) trust
in the government is damaged. We will have to see at what level consumers will
be buying foods. It will depend on where this scandal leads to and if the
government will take responsibility for this mess."
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
