TOKYO - Ministop, a major Japanese convenience store chain, is under scrutiny following revelations of tampered expiry dates on in-store food items. President Masatsugu Hotta held a press conference at 4 p.m. on September 1st, formally apologizing again for the issue that came to light on August 18th.
"To our customers, franchisees, business partners, and government agencies, we sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and concern this has caused," said Hotta. "We are deeply sorry."
The issue involves falsified expiry dates on handmade rice balls and lunchboxes prepared in-store at some locations across seven prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka.
According to Ministop, one method involved delaying the placement of expiry date labels—meant to be attached immediately after preparation—by about two hours. In other instances, staff reportedly replaced the original labels on displayed products with extended expiry dates.
A store manager involved in the mislabeling told FNN that although they regretted their actions, the short shelf life of freshly made in-store items—typically eight to ten hours—made them high-risk for disposal. "Factory-delivered rice balls generally last about two days, but the ones we make in-store are more perishable," the manager explained.
While denying any directive from headquarters to falsify expiry dates, the manager added, "For new product launches, the head office instructs us to make large quantities, but they don’t sell well. By extending the expiry dates, we could reduce waste."
Two weeks have passed since the problem surfaced, and Hotta addressed the underlying causes at the press conference.
He announced the completion of an investigation covering all 1,786 stores nationwide. Two additional locations—Kawaguchi Shinbori in Saitama and Kashii-hama 4-chome in Fukuoka—were found to have also engaged in mislabeling.
Hotta cited two main factors behind the tampering: the pressure to reduce waste and operational costs, and the scheduling choices of part-time workers who often opted to make rice balls during quieter times rather than during early morning hours as required by guidelines. "The decision to prepare items at more convenient times for staff, rather than for customers or store rules, contributed to the problem," he said.
Ministop also revealed that it received reports of customers experiencing health issues after consuming the mislabeled products.
However, the company denied that the methods of tampering had been shared among stores, stating, "At present, we have found no evidence of coordination." Ministop pledged to strengthen its measures to prevent any recurrence.
Source: FNN
