For all natto-lovers!
It was difficult to find natto during the last few days because of the natto-eating craze. In the coming week on the other hand it should be easy to find some, as the producers have now produced massice ammounts:
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Natto producers cry foul over cancelled orders after bogus natto diet TV show
MITO -- Producers of natto, a strong-smelling food made from fermented soybeans, have found themselves in trouble due to cancelled orders that came after a television station admitted it falsified data in a "natto diet" program.
Orders of natto surged after the program was screened, but on Sunday, the day after Kansai Telecasting Corp. announced that the program contained falsified data, the orders suddenly halted, and producers of the food say they may have to throw out natto they produced before the orders were cancelled.
"After the program was broadcast on Jan. 7, the orders from supermarkets climbed to about 1.5 times the normal level, but today the orders have suddenly stopped," said a representative of one small-sized manufacturer in Hitachi,
Ibaraki Prefecture.
Production of natto usually begins two to three days before it is shipped out.
"We've already produced natto for Monday and Tuesday's shipments, but natto only has a one-week use-by date. If we don't receive any orders we might have to dispose of it. We're set to lose hundreds of thousands of yen," the representative said.
Another small-sized producer in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, said a supermarket had phoned in and cancelled an order.
"We ordered a huge number of natto containers and boxes for shipments, but they might not fit in the warehouse," an angry official from the company said. "The television station caused trouble for supermarkets, industry workers, consumers and lots of other people. I want them to realize that they have a lot of influence."
A worker at a supermarket in Mito said the situation has changed greatly since the television station's announcement.
"Sales doubled after the television program, but today's sales went back to normal, and we've got quite a lot of natto left over. We also have a lot of natto in stock, and are worried if we'll be able to get rid of it before the use-by date. We're going to hold off orders for a while." (Mainichi)