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Japan farm ministry orders Fukui seafood firm over mislabeled Echizen crab gifts
Коротко
Japan's agriculture ministry issued a measures order on Oct 6 against Fukumaru Foods, a seafood processor in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, for labeling products as Echizen crab while using mizugani, a crab not counted as Echizen crab. The products were offered as furusato nozei return gifts from at least September 2020 through April this year, and Sankei Shimbun reported the affected donations totaled about 4,700, worth about ¥100 million. The company must submit a report on the cause and prevention measures within one month, and the town itself received a similar order on Sept 24.
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Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Oct 6 that it issued a measures order to Fukumaru Foods, a seafood processor in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, over products labeled as Echizen crab that contained mizugani, a crab not counted as Echizen crab, and were provided as furusato nozei return gifts. The ministry required the company to prevent recurrence and to submit a report within one month covering its investigation into the cause and its prevention measures. [ 1 , 3 ]
According to the ministry, half or more of the ingredients in items such as crab shell servings and peeled crab meat was mizugani, and the labeling continued from at least September 2020 through April this year. Sankei Shimbun reported the affected donations totaled about 4,700 and were worth about ¥100 million. The ministry said the company explained in the investigation that it had wanted to make effective use of cheaper mizugani. [ 1 , 3 ]
Nippon TV reported that the ministry determined the labeling violated the GI system that protects regional brands, and that it had carried out an on-site inspection of Fukumaru Foods in February this year, after which the practice was not corrected. [ 3 ]
Nippon TV also reported that Echizen Town received a measures order under the GI law on Sept 24 over the same return gifts, the first such order for a municipality. NHK's feed listed a headline saying crab-related items were excluded from the town's return gifts. None of the documents say whether Fukumaru Foods has commented on the order. [ 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The case concerns furusato nozei, a donation-for-gift system used by municipalities nationwide, and the labeling rules under Japan's GI system that protect regional food brands. The order against Echizen Town, reported as the first of its kind for a municipality, and the follow-up order against its supplier indicate that regulators are pursuing both the local government and the company involved.
Ключевые факты
- The agriculture ministry issued a measures order on Oct 6 to Fukumaru Foods, a seafood processor in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Products labeled as Echizen crab and provided as furusato nozei return gifts contained mizugani, which is not counted as Echizen crab. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Half or more of the ingredients in items such as crab shell servings and peeled crab meat was mizugani. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The mislabeled gifts were provided from at least September 2020 until April this year. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The ministry required a report on the cause and on prevention measures within one month. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reported the affected donations totaled about 4,700, worth about ¥100 million. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV reported the ministry conducted an on-site inspection in February this year and the practice was not corrected. [ 3 ]
- On Sept 24, Echizen Town became the first municipality to receive a measures order under the GI law over the same return gifts. [ 3 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- The agriculture ministry issued a measures order to Fukumaru Foods over Echizen crab return gifts that contained mizugani. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The ministry required the company to submit a report within one month on preventing recurrence. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The mislabeled products were provided from at least September 2020 to April this year. [ 1 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- The figures of about 4,700 donations and about ¥100 million in donations come from a single outlet. Only Sankei Shimbun gives these numbers; no other document confirms the scale.
- NHK's feed lists a headline saying crab-related items were excluded from Echizen Town's return gifts. The document gives only the headline, without details on when or by whom the exclusion was decided.
- No document says whether Fukumaru Foods has commented on or responded to the order. Only the ministry's account and the company's explanation during the investigation are reported.
- The exact date of the February on-site inspection is not given. Nippon TV says only that the inspection took place in February this year.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Sankei Shimbun reports the farm ministry's order against Fukumaru Foods, citing about 4,700 mislabeled donations worth about ¥100 million. [ 1 ]
- NHK reports the ministry also issued an order to the company that provided the processed products. [ 2 ]
- Nippon TV reports the ministry inspected the company in February and the labeling was not corrected. [ 3 ]
- Echizen Town received a GI-law measures order over the same return gifts on Sept 24, the first such order for a municipality, according to Nippon TV. [ 3 ]