KANAGAWA (TR) – The 63-year-old former president of an organization primarily based in Sagamihara Metropolis and others have been accused of falsely labeling international pork and rooster for varsity lunches and distribution to companies as “home.”
The previous president of Sagamihara Metropolis meals processing firm Kotobuki Meals, Toshihiro Kajima, and 5 others have been arrested on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competitors Prevention Act, experiences the Asahi Shimbun (Nov. 13).
From September to October final 12 months, Kajima and others are suspected of delivering international pork and rooster to high school lunch facilities and different companies in Sagamihara Metropolis, falsely labeling them as “home.”
When questioned, Kajima admitted to the fees. “I’ve been doing this for greater than 10 years,” he mentioned. He added, “I didn’t wish to be eradicated from bidding as a result of home merchandise had been costly. I did it for the corporate’s survival by making income.”
Between September and October of final 12 months, the corporate delivered a complete of roughly 1,770 kilograms of pork and rooster meat, together with international merchandise, to 13 faculty lunch facilities in Sagamihara, Kawasaki and Atsugi prefectures cities in Kanagawa and 6 cities in Tokyo (together with Tama, Inagi and Fuchu).
Between Might and October of final 12 months, the corporate pretended merchandise got here from Japan by displaying the phrase “from the Kanto area” on certificates of origin and labels of delivered merchandise.
Kotobuki Meals, which is presently present process chapter proceedings, used meat from Thailand, Canada, Spain, Mexico and different international locations to hold out the ruse.
In October of final 12 months, the falsification was found throughout an unannounced inspection by the Kawasaki Metropolis Board of Schooling. The next month, prefectural police raided the corporate and its processing plant.
