Japanese chain halts rice ball sales over fake expiration dates

A Japanese convenience store chain has pulled its handmade rice balls, also known as onigiri, from shelves after employees were caught faking expiration dates.

TOKYO — A Japanese convenience store chain has pulled its handmade rice balls, also known as onigiri, from shelves after employees were caught faking expiration dates.

Ministop, which has more than 1,800 stores across Japan, said it was conducting an “emergency investigation” at all of its stores after discovering that staff at some locations had incorrectly labeled the expiration dates for the rice balls, which are prepared in-store.

Production of handmade rice balls and bento boxes has been suspended since Aug. 9, the company said in a statement Monday.

It said it had so far confirmed that staff at 23 locations nationwide had engaged in “sales methods that deviated from our product manufacturing regulation.”

Products that should have been promptly labeled with expiration dates after being prepared in store kitchens “were left without any labels for a length of time in order to extend the expiration period,” it said, while products already on display “were relabeled with expiration dates.”