1,600 Ministop outlets halt onigiri and bento sales over expiry dates

The operator of the convenience store chain Ministop announced on Monday that it has suspended deli sales at around 1,600 outlets after discovering falsified expiry dates on foods prepared in its in-store kitchens. Although no health problems have been reported, Ministop Co., a subsidiary of retail giant Aeon Co., stopped sales of onigiri rice balls and bento lunches from 9 August, and extended the suspension to other deli items from Monday.

In its statement, the company expressed regret to customers who had purchased handmade onigiri and bento lunches, as well as to other affected parties, for the severe inconvenience caused. It explained that an internal investigation had found some employees extended expiry times by delaying labelling for one to two hours after preparation. Others went so far as to remove the original stickers and replace them with false ones.

Operating 1,818 stores nationwide as of July, Ministop is one of Japan's major convenience store chains, though it trails far behind the top three, including Seven-Eleven with 21,770 outlets. The misconduct has been discovered at 23 stores in Tokyo, Saitama, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures.

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