Kumamoto halts clam shipments following faked-origin exposé

A false-origin labeling scandal has halted sales of Kumamoto Prefecture clams.

Japanese TV network Tokyo Broadcasting Station aired an investigative report on 22 January showing containers of chilled clams being shipped to the port of Shimonseki, trucked to Kagoshima, reloaded to smaller flatbed trucks, carried to the clamming area, then dumped and spread out. Then a clam combine was operated to pick up, wash, and bag the clams in new mesh bags. These were then loaded to large refrigerated trucks to be carried to customers as products of Kagoshima. Allegedly, the scheme had been ongoing for several years …

Photo by Chris Loew/SeafoodSource