OSAKA: A consumer who repeatedly bought a supplement containing “beni koji” red fermented rice made by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. died of kidney disease in February, the Japanese company said Tuesday.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, based in the western city of Osaka, is investigating a possible link between the consumption of the supplement and the death of the user, who bought it from April 2021 to February this year.

The company has additionally received reports from about 50 people that they were hospitalized after taking its supplements containing beni koji.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical did not disclose the sex or age of the deceased user. It is the first time that a case in which consumption of a product containing beni koji is suspected to have led to a death has come to light.

The company on Friday announced a voluntary recall of its products using beni koji, citing health hazards possibly linked to the ingredient, believed to be effective in lowering so-called bad cholesterol.

On Friday night, the bereaved family reported the fatal case to the company’s online inquiry center. But it was not until Monday night that the company confirmed the content of the report as it had been bombarded with inquiries.

According to the company, it is highly likely that an unintended substance contained in its beni koji produced in July-October last year caused health problems. Serial numbers on the supplements bought by the deceased customer suggest the possibility of the substance being contained in the products.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has said that 33 people who consumed products using beni koji developed kidney or other diseases, with 26 of them hospitalized. It is warning consumers not to take five beni koji-containing products of three types while recalling some 300,000 packs of products.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has also supplied its beni koji to 52 companies, with firms including Takara Shuzo Co. and Kibun Foods Inc. voluntarily recalling their products containing the ingredient.

The health ministry and the Consumer Affairs Agency questioned Kobayashi Pharmaceutical officials on Tuesday.

If it is confirmed that harmful substances are contained in beni koji-containing products, local governments can ban the sale of them under the food sanitation law.

The Consumer Affairs Agency will review about 7,000 food products with function claims to look into whether any health problems were caused by them, Hanako Jimi, minister for consumer affairs and food safety, said at a press conference.

JIJI Press