Importer says tainted Chinese-made chocolate snack sold nationwide

Sunday 05th October, 06:00 AM JST

OSAKA —

An Osaka-based importer of a made-in-China chocolate snack found tainted with the toxic chemical melamine said Saturday the product has been sold to retailers nationwide, while retailers said they pulled the product off their shelves the same day. The Osaka municipal government on Friday said melamine was detected in the product—Chocolate Pillows—in a preliminary test and urged its importer NS International Co to withdraw it from the market.

The importer also announced that it will pull three other snack products including potato chips that are manufactured at the same factory as the chocolate snack. The three products are being tested for contamination, it said. The chocolate snack has been imported from the Shanghai manufacturer of the Oishi brand of snacks since October 2005, NS International said. Aeon Co, a major supermarket chain based in Chiba city, said its 33 supermarket outlets have pulled all Chocolate Pillows, while MatsumotoKiyoshi Co, the nation’s biggest drugstore chain, said it has ordered all outlets to remove the product from the shelves.

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Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

Sarge at 12:18 PM JST - 5th October

raj is right! If people are buying/consuming less choco and milk, they MUST consume more of something else! This is the unalterable Law of the Stomach.
jonobugs at 01:25 PM JST - 5th October

Maybe they're buying more gyoza now....
Hotbox08 at 02:18 PM JST - 5th October

And the beat goes on ... tainted gyoza in China, White Rabbit chocolates in California and Connecticut, tainted Chinese-made milk products in Europe, and now Chinese-made snacks. Looks like China is thinking globally and acting globally.
romulus3 at 03:47 PM JST - 5th October

when is meiji gonna admit it about its milk and chocolate?
Zarusoba at 05:21 PM JST - 5th October

tclh: Dairy milk is a beneficial product from nature IF you happen to be a baby cow! Most Chinese are lactose intolerant! The best source of calcium is what the cows eat: dark green leafy vegetables.

Dairy is among the most water intensive of all foods and the vast amount of cows in the world are terribly damaging to the environment.

Furthermore, a lot of cocoa beans are produced by child slave labor. Somehow that's OK, but melamine isn't?
WilliB at 05:39 PM JST - 5th October

Zarusoba:

" Somehow that's OK, but melamine isn't? "

Milk and cocoa does not destroy your kidneys; Melamin does. Before the Chinese discovered it you be used to stretch food products, we used the stuff to for building materials and industrial coating. If that´s all the same to you...
tclh at 06:00 PM JST - 5th October

"Most Chinese are lactose intolerant! " All the chineses I know in Australia have absolutely no problem with drinking cow milk..not at all. "vast amount of cows in the world are terribly damaging to the environment." oh no ,I always think human is the most destructive "animal" to the environment. We must have nice house, nice car ,good education,plenty of food ,entertainment,travel,computer,internet...etc we don't just eat and rest ,do we?
Triple888 at 07:06 PM JST - 5th October

This should boost morale for those on a diet.
some14some at 07:14 PM JST - 5th October

If people are buying/consuming less choco and milk, they MUST consume more of something else! This is the unalterable Law of the Stomach.

This unalterable Law will alter my Human body to Melamine body and thereby back to first life without worrying about medical bills!
rurika at 08:59 PM JST - 5th October

I don't know what we can eat that isn't genetically modified or tainted with chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals or bacteria these days. Cereals, fruit & vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, milk, nothing is safe. We need to have a global rethink of the way we produce food.
jp1983 at 11:49 PM JST - 5th October

I hope it's not the choco balls!
rjdsr at 03:13 AM JST - 6th October

Why is China still allowed to import food to Japan? It seems obvious that the agenda is to sicken and kill Japanese people.
MikeBarrymore at 03:27 AM JST - 6th October

rjdsr- Hehehe. I wonder if China really wants to kill Japanese with their food. You have so much knowledge about these things, i suppose it must be true. Aren't you a card!!!
OssanULTRA at 06:56 AM JST - 6th October

Why is China still allowed to import food to Japan? It seems obvious >that the agenda is to sicken and kill Japanese people.

That's up to the J-govt to decide isn't it? As far as sickening and killing people goes, a much stronger arugument can be made that China is out to kill everyone on this planet including their own population.
MikeBarrymore at 04:37 AM JST - 7th October

OssanULTRA- oooooooh, you know so much about world politics, and are so impartial, it must be true!!!

China deals with people who commit these crimes harshley, don't japanophiles watch the news?