Police on Thursday searched the Tokyo headquarters of Prima Meat Packers Ltd. on suspicion the firm mislabeled one of its products, failing to specify that it contained potential allergy-inducing ingredients.
The product, a ready-to-eat dish featuring asparagus and bacon, allegedly contained egg white, which can trigger allergic reactions in some people, according to Metropolitan Police Department officials.
Prima Meat Packers sold the product to the Jusco supermarket chain.
Aeon Co., which operates the chain, reported the case to police in March. If proven, it would constitute a violation of the Food Sanitation Law.
According to Aeon officials, Aeon and Prima Meat Packers had a contract stipulating that the meat packer could not use egg whites in the product.
Set up in 1948, Prima Meat Packers is Japan's third-largest meat processor. It posted 275.5 billion yen in consolidated sales in the 2001 business year.