A Japanese retailer was today [Wednesday] scolded for mislabelling meat from domestic animals as international to allay the fears of consumers worried about BSE.
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The retailer in Southern Japan is reported to have been repeatedly labelling as foreign meat that was 20% domestic. The fraud has been going on since October 2000.
“After the mad cow problem came out last September, domestic beef did not sell at all, so the management decided it was better to label the product US beef or Australian beef,” said Yoichi Kuroiwa, a Saga government official.
The retailer in question has now straightened out is procedures, reported Kuroiwa, and all labelling is subject to strict controls. Had the offence been more severe, the retailer’s name would have been published; as it is, it remains a secret.
