[Breaking News] Health hazards of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's "Red Koji"; Osaka City concludes it is "food poisoning" (2025)

According to Yahoo News

Regarding the health damage caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's "Red Koji," Osaka City held its fifth countermeasure headquarters meeting on the 10th and concluded that the health damage was "food poisoning." The city aims to summarize the symptoms and scale of the problem by the end of the year.

　At the fifth meeting of the task force, the city expressed the view that it was "appropriate to determine that the health damage caused by red yeast rice is food poisoning." Osaka City explained the basis for this determination by citing the fact that an investigation by the Osaka Institute of Health and Safety had detected puverulic acid in some products, that a national investigation had confirmed that puverulic acid can cause kidney damage, and that doctors who examined patients who had complained of health damage after consuming products containing puverulic acid had reported cases of "food poisoning."　

　On the other hand, although this was the first time that "food poisoning" was officially recognized, the city had previously ordered the recall and disposal of products and conducted damage investigations based on the assumption that there was a "risk of food poisoning," so no new administrative sanctions were imposed as a result of the food poisoning being recognized. In the future, the expert committee will discuss the specific symptoms and scale of the food poisoning, aiming to reach a conclusion by the end of the year. Continue reading at the source

The following is from X (formerly Twitter)

【jnnaviBy】

You're mocking the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 😡💢

— Mufufu No. 2🇵🇸 (@shiba19161) October 11, 2024

Hmm, it's dark

— tttt (@tttt1999999) October 11, 2024

は?

— Red swamp (@Redswamp2) October 11, 2024

引用元　https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f3621281aa4c57ef4a3245249b423dbefa204141

Everyone's comments

Editor A's opinion

It is shocking that health damage caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's "Red Koji" was reported, and Osaka City concluded that it was "food poisoning." The current news is said to have been caused by a different food poisoning than the health damage initially reported, and I think this confusion is extremely problematic. It cannot be overlooked that the initial reports were taken as if "Red Koji" was a dangerous product, causing great anxiety to consumers.

First of all, from the moment it was reported as a health hazard, it is possible that negative rumors about the food were started. It is true that Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's name was quickly mentioned and many people had doubts about the product. However, considering that the misunderstanding arose when it was eventually concluded that the cause of the food poisoning was not the "red koji" itself but some other factor, I feel that there may have been a problem with the way the news was initially reported.

Another factor behind this confusion may have been the inappropriate response of the government and the media. If detailed information had been compiled from the beginning and a calm response had been made, the situation that caused anxiety among consumers may have been avoided. We believe that the process that led to the change in conclusion and the results of the investigation should be explained in a clear manner, and that it should be shown with transparency how the decision was made.

Furthermore, shouldn't this incident also give us cause to think about how we handle information about food? Health-related news is a particularly sensitive issue, and once incorrect information spreads, it can seriously damage the image of a company or product. The recent "red yeast rice" incident is one example of this, and I believe that a quick correction and explanation of the misinformation was necessary.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical also needs to take responsibility for explaining this situation to consumers. Even if it turns out that red yeast rice was not the cause, the initial reports may have led to misunderstandings, so they are expected to make efforts to restore trust.

Recent Posts