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March 29, 2008
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| You couldn’t smell it since it was frozen but a second rat has been found inside a food package in two weeks. This time the suspected rodent was in a package of frozen organic mixed vegetables imported from the United States, the nation’s food safety agency said yesterday. The contaminated product, “Willow Wind Organic Mixed Vegetables,” manufactured by Columbia Foods Inc., was immediately recalled by the Korean unit of Costco Wholesale Corp., after a consumer complained and reported the case to the Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Sales of the product have been suspended. The administration said the foreign object is the whole body of a very small rat ― about four centimeters long. “The final result will come out next week. But the object is currently believed to be a rat because it has fuzz all over it and what appears to be animal flesh when we look at it with a magnifying glass,” FDA official Lee Jai-lin said. The Korean branch of Costco said in a release that almost 20 percent of the shipment has been sold and the rest will be pulled from its six branches. Asked about the inspection process for imported food, Lee said it is impossible to look inside every package. A rat head was found inside a packet of shrimp crackers on March 18. That object was believed to have come from China. By Sung So-young Staff Reporter [so@joongang.co.kr] |
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