Maruha Nichiro recalls frozen food products over pesticide contamination fears

Aqlifoods, a subsidiary of Japanese seafood company Maruha Nichiro Holdings, is recalling 6.3 million packages of frozen foods including croquettes and pizza as they may contain pesticide.

The products subject to recall were produced at the company’s factory in Gunma Prefecture in Japan.

The recall affects all 90 products manufactured at the site; 44 of them were sold at retail outlets, while the remaining 46 were supplied to restaurants.

Aqlifoods stated that it will suspend operations and shipments from the factory until it identifies the reason behind the contamination.

The company first received a consumer complaint in November 2013 that one of its frozen pizzas smelled of petroleum oil.

Further investigations revealed the presence of malathion, an organic phosphate typically used as an insecticide, in nine samples from seven different product lines after examining 20 items from ten product lines.

Aqlifoods said that it does not use malathion at the plant in any form.

Although there have been no reports of illness, there was one instance of vomiting as a result of the odour, according to the company.

The Consumer Affairs Agency has published a list of Aqlifoods products that are being withdrawn to alert consumers who might have purchased them.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is calling on local governments to ensure that consumers are aware of the pesticide-tainted frozen foods.