Latest news with #foodquality
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Some retailers hesitant to buy stockpiled rice on quality concerns
As the government releases more of its stockpiled rice to ease a supply crunch and bring down prices, concerns are mounting over the quality and taste of the older harvests. 'I'm worried about the taste. If elderly customers think the rice is bad and stop eating it, it could harm their health,' said Hidehisa Shinohara, 47, who owns a 78-year-old rice shop in Tokyo's Kita Ward. While stockpiled rice from the 2022 harvest has been distributed to large supermarket chains, the current focus on the older batch from 2021 has sparked hesitation among smaller, regional retailers. When the government started auctioning stockpiled rice harvested in 2021 and 2022 in March, buyers showed strong preference for the fresher batch due to concerns over the aging of the grain and the possibility of a deterioration of flavor. While Shinohara is considering applying to buy the stockpiled rice from the government, he expressed misgivings. 'There's this impression that we're just getting leftovers from the big supermarket chains,' he said. A manager at a small supermarket in Tokyo's Adachi Ward echoed those concerns, saying, 'We don't expect quality from this batch, so we won't apply.' The issue has also stirred political controversy. During a Lower House agriculture committee session on Wednesday, Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, criticized the policy, likening the aging rice to livestock feed. 'After a year, it'll be sold as feed for livestock. Of course it's going to be cheap,' he said, arguing that the sale of rice from the government's stockpiles fails to align with consumer demand for affordable, high-quality rice. Under the current policy, the government's stockpiled rice is repurposed for livestock feed after five years. Lawmakers from both opposition and ruling parties have widely criticized Tamaki over his remarks for being inconsiderately framed, given the circumstances. Kenta Izumi, the former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Thursday weighed in on social media platform X, writing, 'That wasn't appropriate phrasing for the situation.' Tamaki later clarified on X that his comment referred to this existing framework, noting that farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi 'has also used the term 'livestock feed rice' to explain the same policy.' Koizumi sought to address doubts by sampling rice balls made from stockpiled rice harvested between 2021 and 2024 at a ministry tasting session on Thursday. He noted one batch was 'a bit firm' — which was later identified as being from the 2021 harvest — but said, 'They all tasted good.' Information from Jiji added
Independent Singapore
09-05-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
'This is daylight robbery': Toast Box patrons upset with difference in menu pictures and actual items
Photo: Toast Box FB SINGAPORE: Some Toast Box patrons have raised concerns over what they describe as a glaring mismatch between the chain's promotional images and the actual food served at outlets across Singapore, with some accusing the popular local café brand of 'daylight robbery'. A customer named Steve told citizen journalism portal Stomp that he visited the Toast Box outlet at IMM on April 27. He ordered a S$7.10 set meal consisting of a hae bee hiam soft bun, two soft-boiled eggs, and a cup of coffee—a typical offering aimed at local breakfast lovers. However, what arrived at his table didn't quite meet expectations. 'Look at the vast difference between the poster and the actual,' Steve said, 'This is daylight robbery.' He added, 'Perhaps the poster suggests that the hae bee hiam is applied only to the edges and not the inside of the buns.' Steve also noted that he reached out to Toast Box via Facebook Messenger to express his dissatisfaction but had not received a response. The issue of alleged misleading presentation doesn't seem isolated. Another disgruntled diner, Audrey, recounted a similar experience from an earlier visit to Toast Box's United Square outlet on April 10 at around 11:45 a.m. She ordered the braised pork rice set with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake for S$12. 'Think I just had my last meal at Toast Box,' she told Stomp. Audrey claimed the portion of meat served was 'shockingly small' and far from what was portrayed in the promotional images. 'Food served with meat cut by 10% from the poster,' she said. 'It's truly disappointing, especially when you crave for the dish,' she added. 'Even though we all know the posters are impressions, this is just way too ridiculous.' The complaints have sparked debate among netizens, with some echoing the sentiment and sharing their own underwhelming experiences. Others argue that marketing images are, by nature, stylised and not meant to reflect exact portions. Toast Box has yet to issue a public statement responding to the complaints.
