Food Safety Failure in Amagasaki Schools

Amagasaki City officials confirmed on September 9 that multiple students and staff at a local junior high school consumed expired milk during school lunch service, including some containers that were seven months past their expiration date. The incident occurred on September 5 when five individuals consumed milk with expiration dates ranging from February to July of this year.

Administrative Error Leads to Dangerous Mistake

According to the investigation, the expired milk had been stored in a staff room refrigerator instead of being properly discarded. A teacher mistakenly retrieved these containers thinking they were intended for that day's lunch service. The error was only discovered when extra milk remained after lunch distribution.

Systemic Changes Implemented

School administrators have apologized to affected families, and the city has issued new guidelines requiring all leftover food items to be returned to the distribution room immediately after lunch service. This incident has raised concerns about food safety protocols in school lunch programs throughout Japan.