Japan chain stops rice ball sales after staff fake expiry dates

Employees were caught altering labels on over 19,000 rice balls

Employees at a Coop Party store in Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan, were caught altering the expiry dates on over 19,000 rice balls. The company has halted sales of the popular item while it investigates the scope of the deception.

The expired food had been sold over the past year, but a whistleblower alerted the company to the practice, prompting an internal investigation. The employees were altering the expiration dates by changing the labels on the packages.

The company has apologized to its customers and is working to correct the issue. It has also implemented additional quality control measures to ensure the freshness and safety of its products.