On April 10th, reports from the media indicate that the "Red Yeast Rice Incident" involving Kobayashi Pharmaceutical continues to escalate. Recently, the Japan Kidney Association disclosed the findings of its investigation, revealing that the majority of patients are afflicted with Fanconi syndrome, a type of renal tubular dysfunction disorder.
According to the report from the Japan Kidney Association, among the 95 surveyed patients, the vast majority were diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome. This condition causes abnormalities in the renal tubules of patients, preventing the proper reabsorption of essential substances needed by the body and instead excreting these substances, significantly impacting the health of the patients.
Furthermore, the latest survey from the Japan Imperial Database Corporation reveals that the issues with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's problematic red yeast rice ingredients may affect up to 33,000 domestic enterprises in Japan.
Among them, food and beverage retail enterprises are the hardest hit, accounting for 16.6% and involving over five thousand companies. Other retail enterprises, medical companies, and restaurants also hold considerable shares.
Of concern is the wide variety of food products processed by enterprises purchasing the problematic red yeast rice ingredients, including natto, bread, packed lunches, salted fish, pickled vegetables, and fermented foods, among others. This undoubtedly increases the difficulty of tracing and recalling the problematic products. The Imperial Database Corporation points out that due to the widespread use of red yeast rice, accurately tracing products using the problematic ingredients is no easy task.
