Latest news with #onigiri
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Japan chain stops rice ball sales after staff fake expiry dates
A Japanese convenience store chain has suspended the sale of rice balls, or onigiri, and other deli items at 1,600 stores after it found that staff had faked their expiry dates. Staff at some stores extended expiry dates by not sticking labels on the dishes until an hour or two after they were prepared. Others relabelled the items with false dates after they were put on sale, Ministop found. The misconduct was reported at 23 stores across the country, including in major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The chain has paused onigiri sales at most of its outlets since 9 August, and on Monday extended the pause to other deli items, for an "emergency investigation". "We sincerely apologise for the significant inconvenience caused to our customers who have supported Ministop's handmade onigiri and handmade bento boxes," the company said in a statement on Monday. Customers have not reported any health issues so far, it added. Convenience stores or konbini are part of daily life in Japan, where people - especially commuters - stop by for affordable and filling meals and last-minute groceries and banking errands. Onigiri is popular among customers who want grab-and-go meals as the rice balls are easy to carry - wrapped in nori or dried seaweed and filled with protein like tuna salad or cod eggs. Ministop operates more than 1,800 stores across Japan. Its focus on fresh food – with hot meals prepared on site – sets it apart from the larger chains.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ministop: Fake expiry labels found in Japanese convenience store's onigiri
A Japanese convenience store chain has suspended the sale of rice balls or onigiri and other deli items at 1,600 stores after it found that their expiry dates were faked. Staff at some stores extended expiry dates by not sticking labels on the dishes until an hour or two after they had been prepared, while others relabelled the items with false dates after they have been put on sale, Ministop had misconduct was reported at 23 stores across the country, including in major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and chain has paused onigiri sales at most of its outlets since 9 August, and on Monday extended the pause to other deli items, for an "emergency investigation". "We sincerely apologise for the significant inconvenience caused to our customers who have supported Ministop's handmade onigiri and handmade bento boxes," the company said in a statement on have not reported any health issues so far, it stores or konbini are part of daily life in Japan, where people - especially commuters - stop by for affordable and filling meals and last-minute groceries and banking is popular among customers who want grab-and-go meals as the rice balls are easy to carry - wrapped in nori or dried seaweed and filled with protein like tuna salad or cod operates more than 1,800 stores across Japan. Its focus on fresh food – with hot meals prepared on site – sets it apart from the larger chains.
Bloomberg
08-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
How ‘Vintage' Rice Is Shaking Up Japan's Politics
To solve the problem of soaring rice prices, Japan's turning to a classic retailer's playbook: rebranding the old as 'vintage.' That's what convenience store chain Lawson is dubbing onigiri rice balls made from the grain harvested in 2021, and released from Japan's strategic reserves in an effort to bring down prices.
NHK
03-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Lawson to sell small lots of government rice
Major Japanese convenience store chain Lawson says it will start selling rice obtained from the government in small packages to suit the demands of consumers. The government has been releasing the staple from stockpiles amid high prices. The firm said it plans to sell 1-kilogram bags for 360 yen before tax, or about 2 dollars and 50 cents. It will sell 2-kilogram bags for 700 yen. Lawson has bought 500 tons of rice through a no-bid contract. President and CEO Takemasu Sadanobu said that seniors and people living alone are among the chain's frequent customers. Takemasu said: "Our business has been growing by offering smaller-sized products to meet the needs of our customers. We will keep putting importance on that." Lawson also says it will sell lower-price onigiri rice balls made with rice from the crop harvested in 2022 and 2023. The price of onigiri has risen around 18 percent compared to a year ago. Another convenience store chain, FamilyMart, has already announced plans to start selling 1-kilogram bags of the government-released rice early this month.
