A Japanese convenience store chain has suspended sales of all deli items at about 1,600 stores after discovering expiry dates were falsified on in-house prepared foods.
Workers at 23 Ministop stores in seven prefectures either delayed labelling by up to two hours or replaced stickers with false dates.
Sales of onigiri (rice balls) and bento boxes were already halted on 9 August. However, after similar issues were uncovered in other deli products, the company suspended all in-store cooked items on Monday.
Ministop, a subsidiary of retail giant Aeon Co., has been part of Japan’s convenience store culture since its founding in 1980,Tokyo Weekender reported.
Although it is smaller than leading chains such as 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, Ministop is well known for its in-store kitchens that prepare rice balls, bentos, and snacks on demand, setting it apart from competitors that mostly rely on factory-produced meals.
“We sincerely apologise to customers who purchased handmade onigiri (rice balls) and bento (lunch boxes), as well as other concerned parties, for the significant inconvenience caused,” Ministop said in a statement.
The company revealed that some staff members manipulated expiry dates by holding off on labelling freshly prepared foods for up to two hours, while others went as far as swapping stickers with entirely false dates.
ミニストップ、２３店舗で消費期限の貼り替えなど不正…店内調理のおにぎり・総菜・弁当を全店中止
— 天然水💧ゐろはにしろくまカフェ🐻🐻❄️🧸 (@asakiyumemisipo) August 18, 2025
🫢えっ、そんなに…！？
消費期限ラベルの貼り直しなんて信じられない。
店内調理だけじゃなく総菜までって、ちょっと怖すぎる…！… pic.twitter.com/qwOUupy7Ps
Ministop operates 1,818 outlets nationwide and is counted among the top five convenience store chains in Japan, along with 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson and Daily Yamazaki.
So far, the irregularities have been traced to 23 outlets across seven prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.
Reaction online has been sharp, with many users expressing shock and disappointment. One user on X wrote: “I can’t believe the company was relabeling expiry dates. Not just in-store-prepared items but even side dishes, that’s a bit too scary…!”
The company said that no health problems have been reported to date as a result of the relabelling scandal.
