TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan announced Tuesday (March 26) that products made with red yeast rice imported from Japan are being preemptively removed from shelves.
The move comes after recent reports in Japan of adverse reactions from consumers using products containing red yeast rice from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. Two individuals reportedly required dialysis due to acute kidney failure.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's products, including those with red yeast rice, are sold to beverage and food manufacturers in both Japan and Taiwan. On March 22, the company announced a recall of health food products containing red yeast rice, as the number of hospitalized patients with kidney disease after consumption had risen to 26.
According to Japanese media outlets such as Kyodo News, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical stated on March 26 that a consumer who had been purchasing one of the recalled health products for nearly three years, from April 2021 to February 2024, had unfortunately died from kidney disease. The cause of death and its potential link to the product are still under investigation.