MANILA, Philippines –- Fruit and vegetable producer Dole Japan, Inc. decided to remove from sale, distribution, and consumption about 9,000 bunches of bananas that it imported from the Philippines on fears that the products had been deliberately contaminated.
The Japanese firm announced the food recall on Wednesday, November 1, according to a news report by Kyodo, published by Japan Times.
The company made the decision after it reportedly found a wire, about three centimeters long, in a banana from the Philippines, which supplies 90 percent of the tropical fruit being sold in Japan.
The wire was discovered during a voluntary inspection at Dole Japan’s facility in Kawasaki City last Friday, Oct. 27, according to Kyodo.
Kyodo said the firm had reported the incident to authorities and believed that it was a case of food tampering by someone from the Philippines.
The same news report said that last Monday, Oct. 30, Dole Japan received a complaint from a consumer in Aichi Prefecture that a piece of wire was also discovered in a banana.
“We sincerely apologize for causing significant inconvenience and worry,” Kyodo quoted Dole Japan as saying in a statement.
