FUKUSHIMA, Sep 17 (News On Japan) - A school nutritionist in Fukushima embezzled Y7.98 million by using cheaper ingredients, such as replacing chicken thighs with breasts, to cut costs.
The 42-year-old school staff member, who was responsible for meal budgeting, used cost-saving tactics to divert funds from the school’s meal budget account. For example, instead of using thigh meat as planned, they opted for the cheaper breast meat.
In the first year, the employee managed to reduce the per-meal cost from the allocated Y310 to Y296, saving Y14 per meal. In the second year, the budget was further reduced from Y330 to Y280 per meal, achieving a savings of Y50 per meal.
Concerns were raised about whether the portion sizes were affected, but there were no complaints or inquiries regarding the menu, according to reports.
The embezzled funds were reportedly spent on travel, beauty treatments, and dog care expenses. The employee admitted that they had difficulty managing personal finances and feared being unable to repay credit card bills.
The Fukushima Prefecture has dismissed the nutritionist, and the staff member has returned the full amount embezzled.
Source: ANN
