Japanese restaurant chain apologises after rat found floating in miso soup

A Japanese restaurant chain has apologised after a rat was found in a bowl of miso soup.

Sukiya, known for its bowls of beef and rice, said the rodent was discovered by a customer at its branch in Tottori.

An investigation found an employee failed to check the bowl of soup before serving it and missed the rat during the incident in January.

Sukiya said other bowls of soup with the same contamination risk had not been served to any other customers. The eatery was closed for hygiene inspections but later reopened.

The company apologised for taking two months to acknowledge the incident and said it has improved food safety across its hundreds of branches. Customers had accused the chain of only addressing the issue when images of the rat were posted to social media.

“Measures were taken to address cracks in the building that could lead to contamination, and employees were given rigorous training on hygiene management, including visual inspection of products before serving,” the restaurant chain said in a translated statement.

“The health centre was also consulted on the day of the outbreak. The store resumed business two days after the outbreak after a health centre official inspected the site.

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“We would like to once again apologise to our customers and all concerned parties for the inconvenience and concern caused,” Sukiya continued. “We will strive to further strengthen our management systems in all stores nationwide to prevent a similar incident from occurring again in the future.”

Sukiya said it has decided to strengthen its processes following the contamination and will check holes and cracks every three months, and store food waste in a refrigerated rubbish storeroom.

“We have also instructed stores nationwide to thoroughly visually inspect products before serving them in order to prevent contamination,” the restaurant chain said. “Going forward, we will continue to conduct more thorough research and take measures against the intrusion of pests and vermin.

There are approximately 2,000 Sukiya stores across Japan, and the chain says it is Japan’s “leading Gyudon restaurant chain”. Gyudon is a dish of thinly sliced beef and onions cooked in a sweet and savoury sauce, served on rice.