, formerly is one of the largest

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

companies in Japan. In 2000, more than 14,000 people got sick from old milk sold by Snow Brand contaminated with the ''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...

'' bacteria, the worst case of

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...

in Japan. A criminal probe into the company led to some senior managers being charged with professional negligence. Two were convicted, and were given suspended sentences. The company was criticized for failing to recall their product quickly. In January 2003, the company merged with two farm organizations, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations and the National Federation of Dairy Cooperative Associations, as the Nippon Milk Community Co. and eventually rebranded as the Megmilk Snow Brand Company. Megmilk Snow Brand has a dairy museum in

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

References

External links

Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd. (Japanese)

Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd. (Company information in English)
2003 mergers and acquisitions Dairy products companies of Japan Food and drink companies established in 1950 Food and drink companies of Japan Japanese brands Japanese companies established in 1950 {{Food-company-stub