The head of a food processing firm apologised Saturday for selling imported pesticide-tainted rice to snack makers and admitted ordering company employees to go ahead with the sales. Mitsuo Fuyuki, president of Mikasa Foods, said it was unclear if the rice had reached consumers in the form of rice crackers or as part of a distilled spirit.
"From the bottom of my heart, I apologise for causing so much trouble," Fuyuki told a news conference in the western city of Osaka. "I by myself instructed to sell" the rice, Fuyuki said, explaining he did so due to his company's financial troubles. He made the remarks a day after the farm ministry said the firm in 2006 and 2007 sold 295 tonnes of the rice, which was meant exclusively for industrial use due to its excessive level of pesticide.
The ministry ordered Mikasa Foods to recall any of the rice, imported from China, Vietnam and other countries, that was still on the market. The incident came amid high concern in Japan over Chinese products after frozen dumplings last year caused thousands of people to complain of sickness, with 10 hospitalised.
The pesticide found in the rice was methamidophos-the same as that found in the frozen dumplings. The rice, which contained five times the allowed level of the pesticide, was intended to be used for manufacturing glue or other industrial purposes.