Snow Brand Milk Products
Megmilk Snow Brand Company, Limited, formerly Snow Brand Milk Products Co., Ltd. is one of the largest dairy companies in Japan.
In 2000, more than 14,000 people got sick from old milk sold by Snow Brand contaminated with the staphylococcus aureus bacteria, the worst case of food poisoning 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 to rebranded as the Megmilk Snow Brand Company.
