300 suffer food poisoning at Nagano sports tournament

A friend of mine had her kid there, very bad situation. The figure of 120 is an absolute lie, because that was the limit the hospital would take, they where just totally overwhelmed!

My Japanese ex-wife was convinced that cooked food does not need refrigeration. This seems to be a common belief in Japan, and may be a factor in these 'bento barf' episodes.

Kokuzi, was she from the north of the country? I have found that with the heating limited to only a few rooms, and the kitchen not being one of them, many households leave food covered on the counters, which I instinctively wanted to put in a fridge. It took some getting used to, but really, it's cold enough half the year, just in the kitchen.

Good to hear that no one was too seriously injured in this incident. only 300 out of a possible 3700 participants. I wonder how many bentos came from that same one place.

Companies need to be responsible for this, I'm getting sick of the bow, all is forgotten and move on attitudes to problems.

For a country that prides itself on food, food quality and safety, there are far too many food poisoning cases and deaths. How many is this so far this year? What happened and who is responsible?

This seems to be a common belief in Japan.

Not at all (except perhaps Hokkaido). I found out that Japanese put everything in the fridge or the freezer, including bread, potatoes and rice, and certainly everything cooked... I lived mostly in Tokyo and Kagoshima.

For a country that prides itself on food, food quality and safety, there are far too many food poisoning cases and deaths.

Yes, that is true. In many kitchens, hygiene practices leave a lot to be desired. Actually most Japanese people shrug it off as "one of those things" and are really shocked when I inform them that mass food poisonings are uncommon in other supposedly developed nations.

By the way, there are plenty of smaller-scale cases that don't make it into the news, and are hushed up through payments and apologies. I've heard about them through friends and colleagues.

As long as no fish, fowl or other meats in say a soup or a sauce, they can actually be left out overnight and longer during 3/4 of the year. Eggs are left out all day in super markets desho? There is a possibility the bento maker used chicken nuggets from that Chinese company.

By the way, I keep my wonderful red sauce base in the fridge for more than two weeks. Never got sick, never will.

Eggs are left out all day in super markets desho?

Really? They have to be in a refrigerated case here in my country. About the only place you'll find them left out is at a Farmer's Market, and then you're expected to refrigerated them as soon as you get home.

As long as no fish, fowl or other meats in say a soup or a sauce, they can actually be left out overnight and longer during 3/4 of the year. Eggs are left out all day in super markets desho?

They have to be in a refrigerated case here in my country. About the only place you'll find them left out is at a Farmer's Market, and then you're expected to refrigerated them as soon as you get home.

Eggs have a cuticle which provides a natural barrier to microbes. As long as they're fresh they can be kept at room temperature. Cooked foods should be refrigerated as soon as they've gone below a heated temperature that prevents the growth of bacteria. Most Japanese-style bento kept in the open air would not be acceptable according to US food regulations.

Not at all (except perhaps Hokkaido). I found out that Japanese put everything in the fridge or the freezer, including bread, potatoes and rice, and certainly everything cooked... I lived mostly in Tokyo and Kagoshima.

I've found that the other poster is correct - food left out all the time. I have no idea how many times I have had to tell my husband to put the damn food in the fridge. He accuses me of being too worried about food - I refuse dairy and whatnot after the "best before" where he'll ignore it. He'll leave curry, buridaikon and the like out on the counter. His family does the exact same thing and I've been to many houses where things are left out.

Tessa, indeed. Add in the relabling and cover ups... I have zero trust here in food standards and safety. Having a good laugh at the chicken thing in China right now and how folks are shocked that Macs uses chicken from China. Honestly, how naive are folks?

I have no idea how many times I have had to tell my husband to put the damn food in the fridge.

I think the problem lies with your hubbie ;)

I think it lies with the lack of education in Japan with food safety - he gets it now but lord, drove me nuts to come into the kitchen and find food still left out after he was done eating.

tmarieJul. 22, 2014 - 04:46PM JST

For a country that prides itself on food, food quality and safety, there are far too many food poisoning cases and deaths. How many is this so far this year? What happened and who is responsible?

The restaurant inspection in Japan is not strict enough like US.

We have a city government data that we can review all violators in food industry. We have a good transparency system. The safety violators are forced to close their business if not improved. It is mandatory. I check my favorite restaurants periodically, so that I do not get a food poisoning.