Consumers shun frozen food amid 'gyoza' poisonings

The food-poisoning outbreak linked to frozen Chinese-made "gyoza" meat dumplings has scared consumers away from frozen foods, officials at food makers and retailers are saying.

Masayuki Hashimoto, manager of the Happisu Hirakata supermarket, gestures Monday as he posts a warning to customers who purchased frozen Chinese dumplings on Dec. 27. KYODO PHOTO

With investigators unable to pinpoint the cause of the scare or end the steady stream of Japanese falsification scandals, consumers have lost trust in the food industry's safety claims and the veracity of its labels, they said.

Food companies and supermarkets now fear that doubts over frozen food will continue even if no other problems arise.

"A day after the food poisoning was reported, sales of frozen food plummeted 20 to 30 percent, and the situation must be similar at other stores, too," said a senior official with a major supermarket chain.

All frozen food made by Tianyang Food, the company that made the tainted products, has been removed from Japanese shelves. Still, many supermarket customers are steering clear of the frozen food section.

"I'm in no mood to try frozen food again as long as we remain in the dark as to how pesticide got into (Tianyang's) products," said one female customer in Tokyo.

Labels on products processed and prepared in China are supposed to say, "Made in China," but the law does not require the country of origin to be stated for each ingredient.

"There is no knowing where the vegetables in this frozen fried rice come from," said one consumer at a retail store in Yokohama. "The recent incidence of food poisoning gives me ample cause for worry," she said.

Consumption of frozen food in Japan began rapidly rising in the 1970s, and competition soon heated up, increasing its popularity.

"Its taste improved considerably over recent years," one manager at a major producer said.

Frozen food also usually contains small amounts of preservatives used to extend shelf life, and supermarkets often highlight the products in advertisements.

"Whenever vegetable prices rise because of unseasonable weather, sales of frozen gyoza shoot up because it has various nutritious ingredients and people pick them as an alternative to vegetables," an executive at a major food company said.

The gyoza served at pubs and restaurants often is purchased frozen.

Frozen food consumption in Japan in 2006 stood at 21.1 kg per person, up 150 percent over the past 20 years, according to the Japan Frozen Food Association.

Imports account for more than 40 percent of total consumption in Japan. And consumption of frozen food has risen as imports of low-priced products from countries such as China increase.

But use of frozen food drops dramatically whenever its safety is called into question.

In 2002, an excessive amount of agrochemical residue was found in frozen spinach from China. The resulting scare caused consumption of frozen food to tumble.