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TOKYO, JAPAN - JAPAN Tobacco (JT) said on Tuesday it would boost its own production of frozen foods in the wake of a safety scare involving pesticide-tainted dumplings that it imported from China.
'We are moving towards an increase in our own production in the future,' said JT spokeswoman Yukiko Seto.
The group has been under fire since a food poisoning scandal erupted a month ago over frozen dumplings that its subsidiary imported from China.
But the company said it did not plan to stop importing frozen food from China, where it still outsources work to 14 food processing factories.
'We have continued outsourcing to China and will do so in the future as long as we can ensure safety,' Ms Seto said.
The firm also announced plans to strengthen its food safety inspections while continuing a nationwide product recall and providing support to victims of the pesticide poisoning.
Japanese authorities have confirmed that 10 people suffered pesticide poisoning after eating the frozen dumplings.
Thousands more people complained about feeling ill.
China, which has been hit by a string of safety scandals involving its exports since last year, says the food was laced with a pesticide after production, but probably not in China.
The poisoning scare has alarmed consumers in Japan, which relies on imports for 60 percent of its food, with China the top provider after the United States. -- AFP
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