Police study meat messages sent to 'yakiniku' chain
Kyodo KANAZAWA, Ishikawa Pref. — The operator of a chain of "yakiniku" barbecue restaurants involved in a spate of fatal food poisonings believed it did not need to trim raw beef before serving it, contrary to common practice, due to an e-mail message received from its supplier, its executive said Monday.
Police are analyzing seized e-mail data and looking into other details of Foods Forus Co. as it investigates food poisonings at its Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu outlets that killed four customers.
Police suspect that the Korean-style barbecue chain served raw beef dishes without trimming the beef to remove surface bacteria.
The May 2009 e-mail from Tokyo-based supplier Yamatoya Shoten led Foods Forus to believe the meat it received had already been trimmed, the official, who asked not to be named, said.
In a contradictory claim, the meat distributor told Tokyo health officials during an inspection that it did not provide the beef to be consumed raw, investigative sources said.
Under hygiene standards issued in 1998 for meat to be consumed raw, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry requires that surface of raw meat, which can easily be contaminated with bacteria, be trimmed both by distributors and at restaurants to prevent food poisoning.
The e-mail was sent before the distributor began supplying raw meat to Foods Forus and stated that the yield, or the edible portion, of the meat to be shipped was "about 100 percent, without any loss," and also that it would send samples for use in raw beef dishes.
"Based on the explanation on the yield, we judged that the raw meat had already been trimmed, and was ready to be processed (for consumption)," the executive said.
Foods Forus has not made it a rule for meat to be trimmed at its restaurants.
Three of the four people who died after eating raw meat dishes at the restaurant's outlets were confirmed to be infected by the O-111 strain of E. coli bacteria. In addition, more than 85 people have exhibited food poisoning symptoms since dining at three of the company's outlets in Toyama. More than 20 are in serious condition.
Police are analyzing seized e-mail data and looking into other details of Foods Forus Co. as it investigates food poisonings at its Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu outlets that killed four customers.
Police suspect that the Korean-style barbecue chain served raw beef dishes without trimming the beef to remove surface bacteria.
The May 2009 e-mail from Tokyo-based supplier Yamatoya Shoten led Foods Forus to believe the meat it received had already been trimmed, the official, who asked not to be named, said.
In a contradictory claim, the meat distributor told Tokyo health officials during an inspection that it did not provide the beef to be consumed raw, investigative sources said.
Under hygiene standards issued in 1998 for meat to be consumed raw, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry requires that surface of raw meat, which can easily be contaminated with bacteria, be trimmed both by distributors and at restaurants to prevent food poisoning.
The e-mail was sent before the distributor began supplying raw meat to Foods Forus and stated that the yield, or the edible portion, of the meat to be shipped was "about 100 percent, without any loss," and also that it would send samples for use in raw beef dishes.
"Based on the explanation on the yield, we judged that the raw meat had already been trimmed, and was ready to be processed (for consumption)," the executive said.
Foods Forus has not made it a rule for meat to be trimmed at its restaurants.
Three of the four people who died after eating raw meat dishes at the restaurant's outlets were confirmed to be infected by the O-111 strain of E. coli bacteria. In addition, more than 85 people have exhibited food poisoning symptoms since dining at three of the company's outlets in Toyama. More than 20 are in serious condition.
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