日本发放过期救济粮 要求领取者签免责书

Core Viewpoint - The mayor of Tokushima City, Akira Endo, apologized for distributing relief food that had exceeded its best-before date, acknowledging that this practice disrespected the dignity of recipients [1]. Group 1: Incident Details - Tokushima City distributed relief food that had surpassed its best-before date, with some items being up to 14 months expired [1]. - From May 2023 to December 2025, the city's health and welfare department provided food such as rice, bread, and bottled water to 85 individuals, with 59 of them receiving food that exceeded the best-before date [1]. - Recipients were required to sign a consent form acknowledging the food's status and accepting responsibility for any health issues that might arise [1]. Group 2: Official Response - The city acknowledged that the distribution of expired food was known to relevant departments and admitted that the practice was inappropriate, pledging to cease such distributions [1]. - According to TBS, the city stated that food exceeding the best-before date typically does not pose safety issues, although this does not justify the practice [1]. Group 3: Food Expiration Definitions - Japan uses two types of food expiration dates: the consumption period, which indicates safe consumption, and the best-before period, which indicates when food is expected to be at its best quality [1]. - Exceeding the best-before date does not mean that the food is immediately unsafe to eat [1].