Nearly 300 people in northern Japan ill after eating 'bento' boxed meals

Health officials in northern prefecture of Aomori revealed that nearly 300 people have complained of ill health after eating dishes sold by a "bento" boxed-meal maker in the prefecture.

A public health center in the city of Hachinohe said that 295 people from 24 prefectures, more than half the number of prefectures across Japan, had adverse symptoms as of 9 a.m on Wednesday.

The center says they had eaten boxed meals made by Yoshidaya in the city with expiry dates that were last Saturday or Sunday. Those people were experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.

The center says the boxed meals were sold at places including railway stations in Aomori and events at supermarkets outside the prefecture.

A supermarket chain operating mainly in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima says it sold about 1,000 bento boxes of seafood at 240 shops in the Tohoku and Kanto regions on Saturday. The firm says nearly 40 customers had pointed out that there were abnormalities, such as a strange smell.

Another supermarket chain operating mainly in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo says it sold about 1,200 seafood bento boxes at 180 outlets in the Kanto region on Saturday and about 20 customers have complained of ill health.

The health center conducted an on-site inspection of the Yoshidaya premises on Sunday for suspected food poisoning. It is continuing to investigate the detailed cause.