Frozen Food Recall: 350 Japanese Residents Sickened by Tainted Products

Over 350 people have been sickened across Japan due to eating frozen food products from tainted pesticide, according to the public Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The Associated Press (AP) notes that than 6.4 million packages of various frozen foods have been recalled by the food maker Maruha Nichiro due to the possibility of high level of pesticides.

In order to warn customers, Japan's major newspapers used full-page advertisements to advise regarding the tainted frozen food, which included the following products: Pancakes, pizza and croquettes manufactured in Gunma Prefecture, located north of Tokyo.

"The products will have a strong smell and eating them may cause vomiting and stomach pain," it said in the notice, which included 51 color photos of the problem products, according to the news organization.

To date, 356 individuals have suffered from vomiting, diarrhea and other health issues from eating some of the recalled items.

Various reports have stated that the recalled products may have been contaminated with the pesticide malathion by up to 2.6 million times the allowable amount.  

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this pesticide is used in farming and gardening in order to help kill fleas on both animals and people. However, high concentrations of the chemicals found in the product can cause death.