McDonalds Japan apologises for human tooth found in fries TOKYO - McDonalds Japan has apologised to customers and vowed to ensure product safety after objects, including a tooth and plastic, were found in its food, the latest trouble for a fast-food chain hit by sliding sales and a shortage of french fries. The human tooth served with french fries at a McDonalds outlet is the latest revealed in a series of recent woes for the chain. A customer complained to the Japanese arm of the fast food giant after finding a foreign body in a serving of potatoes from an outlet in Osaka, television networks said. The item had apparently been deep fried. Independent investigations commissioned by McDonalds determined that it was a tooth, broadcasters said yesterday when reporting the results. A statement from McDonalds given to the woman, obtained by a TV station, said the object was believed to be a tooth. I received an apology only when the store manager came over, the customer, whose name was not revealed, told the JNN network. The manager didnt really talk about how it got in and what action they will take in the future. I have a small child and it terrifies me to think that she could have eaten it and choked, she said. The store manager who visited her said the tooth had been fried, she reportedly said. The Asahi network said it was not known how a tooth could have been mixed with the fries. At a packed news conference, executives sought to reassure the public of the safety of McDonalds food. I am confident my family can eat McDonalds products, said Mr Takehiko Aoki, senior vice-president at McDonalds Holding Co (Japan). McDonalds said there were no employees missing a tooth at the outlet and it believed there was a very low possibility of contamination at the United States factory that had shipped the chips, said the network. The incident is the latest public relations setback for the company, which has seen its reputation suffer in Japan. McDonalds has previously confirmed that a customer found a piece of vinyl inside a chicken nugget sold by an outlet in the northern city of Misawa, while a child last month cut his mouth on a piece of plastic in a chocolate sundae. There was a similar case of contamination at a Tokyo branch. Reports also said a tiny piece of plastic was found in a sundae in the north-eastern city of Koriyama last December. Those finds came after the burger giant was forced to switch nugget production to a Thai company in the wake of a food scare at one of its Chinese suppliers. In July, Chinese officials shut food-supplier Shanghai Husi Food Co following a television report alleging the plant mixed out-of-date meat with fresh product that was then supplied to McDonalds and other major fast food chains. Late last year, the company had to airlift an emergency supply of french fries from the US after a chip shortage had resulted in rationing at its 3,000 restaurants across the country. McDonald’s Holdings (Japan) embarked on the emergency measure of offering only small-sized French fries to customers as a result. Labour disputes on the US West Coast had hit exports, leaving Japanese firms scrambling to secure fresh supplies. The fast-food chain said it had imported more than 1,000 tonnes of frozen fries by air. But those steps alone are not sufficient to prevent a shortage. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS - See more at: stasiareport/the-big-story/asia-report/japan/story/mcdonalds-japan-apologises-human-tooth-found-fries-20150108#2
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 05:17:24 +0000