That, at least, is what Reiko Yoshida, head of a small food firm in western Japan, told a news conference on Wednesday when asked to explain why her company sold frozen spring rolls and other products that were well past their sell-by date.

"I was told that the products were past their expiry date, but I gave the order to sell them after I tried them and found them tasty," a spokesman for the company, Shinsho, quoted Yoshida as telling a news conference.

The company sold about 2,600 frozen spring rolls to stores even though some were nearly six months past their expiry date, the spokesman said.

Yoshida accepted now that the company should have thrown the food away after the sell-by date passed and that it would take care from now on.

The firm has voluntarily halted business in 21 of its 23 shops around the country for an indefinite period of time.