Megmilk Snow Brand controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2002
Snow Brand Food fraudulent beef labeling incident
Snow Brand Food, then a subsidiary of Snow Brand Milk Products, was found to have presented inexpensive imported beef as domestic beef in order to exploit a government BSE countermeasures buyback and subsidy program. The scandal produced arrests and further allegations of false labeling, deepened the damage caused by the 2000 crisis, and led to Snow Brand Food’s dissolution in April 2002.
2002
Expired-butter controversy during post-crisis restructuring
Contemporary reporting alleged that Snow Brand Milk Products had used or considered using butter held beyond its freshness date after inventories accumulated following the 2000 crisis. The episode added to public and regulatory criticism of the predecessor company’s quality and inventory controls.
2000
Snow Brand Milk Products food-contamination incident
A power outage and subsequent handling of skim-milk powder at a predecessor plant led to contamination with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins. The powder was later used in low-fat milk manufactured at the Osaka plant. The company’s delayed recall and public response aggravated the crisis, which sickened 13,420 people according to the group’s corporate-governance account. The incident caused extensive reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, criminal investigations, management changes, and restructuring.