Imported apple juice passed off as being from Aomori-grown apples

Tuesday 05th August, 06:34 AM JST

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VoXman at 10:25 AM JST - 5th August

Why is jail time not included in these types of cases? It incredible how the J consumers just sit back and keep taking this crap
mikihouse at 10:29 AM JST - 5th August

hmmm, saw the video last night. The owner said the prices of ingredients in Japan is so expensive that he has 2 alternatives, raise prices which will further decline his sale and into bankcruptcy or substitute the ingredient with another and keep his business. The problem was if he label the juice is from China people will not buy his product, so he was in a bind.However I believe that he should have come out in the open, tell the people that he is substituting the product or raising his prices to maintain the "quality" of his products and let the market decide.

Pure greed and deception?...really a gray area. If you are into business, you know what its like to be in a pinch. Anyway, I think that is why he got off lightly with his scam. In my opinion, he got caught when people supplying his factory were not being contacted anymore and thus started the investigation.
JavaChip at 10:48 AM JST - 5th August

Oh my God, we have been poisoned with Chinese tainted apple juice!

Seriously though, if the owner is telling the truth about not being able to make a profit if they kept using only home-grown apples, it makes one wonder what "solution" the competition came up with...
Triple888 at 10:55 AM JST - 5th August

I thought Japanese prefer home-grown stuff. Why are they complaining?
lipscombe at 10:57 AM JST - 5th August

because they arent being given the home grown stuff
Smythe at 11:25 AM JST - 5th August

Being an ex-fruit orchardist in the Okanagan Valley of B.C. Cdn., I must admit that I am at loss as to what '--Aomori-grown apples--. These seemingly from South Africa.

We, in Cdn, know almost anything marked "packaged in Canada" is frozen products from CHINA. Really peeves us as fruit farmers or ex-fruit farmers with latter being myself.
dennis0bauer at 03:39 PM JST - 5th August

Smythe very easy Chinese apples have always made in china on them :p

I do not understand i live in Aomori and apples are for japanese standards quite cheap here.

I guess he was just trying to make a quick buck, like meat hope, shiroi koibito and so many others.
serindipity at 04:44 PM JST - 5th August

So, what do we have so far? Apples, eel, chicken and, no doubt, quite a few more. What an ethical society we live in! Just great!
NuckinFutz at 05:42 PM JST - 5th August

Reform business practices = Don't get caught next time!
Betting at 09:04 PM JST - 5th August

The psychology behind this seems a little warped. Producers of foodstuff/drinks afraid that people won't buy their product if the price goes up, so they run the risk and use a substitute item. But isn't this a problem faced by companies all over the world?

I thought this is what competition is about. You want to be number 1 so you fight to get there, then you continue fighting to stay there or regain it if you lose your position. It's one of the continuous cycles of business.

But with some of these companies in Japan they seem to think they have the "divine right of kings" and for them they can't understand when the situation changes that they need to change to.

Rather than reexamining their position, changing the product, changing the marketing of their product, they'd rather cheat the public. Will these people ever learn?
meija at 11:40 PM JST - 5th August

What?!? You mean the Aomori apple juice I've been drinking isn't really from Aomori? But it tastes so good. I did notice an improvement in the taste a year or two back, but I didn't think any more about it. I guess it's back to the boring old taste after this...

Oh, and fraud is a crime, isn't it? Or can you just bow, apologise and pretend it never happened?
motytrah at 02:39 AM JST - 6th August

I'd be irked if I found out I was being exposed to produce from China. That stuff is doused in all sorts of chemicals to increase yields.
Smythe at 06:11 AM JST - 6th August

Thank you dennis0bauer, I remember some years back, still in the orchard business & slowly changing over from soft fruit to apples only, I saw the maze of acrage in China of basically apple trees. I knew we, as Cdns, would never be able to sell them any of our apples, same with many other countries.

Also if they found a less expensive way to transport their apples to us THEN we were finished as we were down to selling our apples at almost the depression level in 1928 to 1938.
Smythe at 06:14 AM JST - 6th August

My apology for I should have said that I SAW some live film of their orchards & did not see them in reality. After all I have never visited or travelled out of North America.
delitachan at 09:47 AM JST - 6th August

As long as it tastes good and contains no poison, who cares!