I just arrived in Japan a few days ago, and something startled me when I went into a 7-11. They have slices of pizza, as well as hotdogs, just wrapped up and sitting out, unrefrigerated. And apparently they sit there for a few days at a time.

How can that be safe? Doesn't it spoil?

In principle, or at least according to the food packaging rules that I've just been reading about, there should be a packing date printed on them. I could also imagine that they just throw those items away at some point in the late evening if they haven't been sold by then.

My acquaintance recommends this book.

*shudders* it's obviously mad processed.. that's why it lasts.

they have pizza and hotdogs at japanese 7-11?

i always got the bento boxes from the refrigerated section. those are delicious.

There are a lot of stores in Japan, mostly in the inaka, that don't refrigerate their eggs. You can stop worrying about the pizza and hot dogs.

A lot of food preservation and safety ideas are cultural rather than scientific.

I bought some 串刺し and tempura from a supermarket that I don't remember being covered very well, but it seemed to have fast rotation there. I found the 肉じゃが type stuff that sits there on a simmer uncovered in some コンビニ more disturbing. I saw possibly the worst looking fries I've ever seen in some crappy little box for 500円 or so in a コンビニ too. I think there were literally about 10 shrivelled, off-colour excuses for fried potato in there.

Zarxrax Wrote:I just arrived in Japan a few days ago, and something startled me when I went into a 7-11. They have slices of pizza, as well as hotdogs, just wrapped up and sitting out, unrefrigerated. And apparently they sit there for a few days at a time.

How can that be safe? Doesn't it spoil?

If you are in a major city (Tokyo, Osaka) I can almost assure that hardly anything in a 7-11, nor any Konbini for that matter, is sitting out on the shelf for a few days at a time. Konbini's are famous for their simply astounding rate of inventory turnover. For 7-11 it's store average inventory turnover is about 7.5 days. Keep in mind that includes its entire stock room as well. The chance that any item you are looking at that is out on the shelves has been there for a few days is almost impossible.

Once you've settled into an area and have a regular konbini that you visit on a daily basis you'll soon realize how often the shelves are restocked.

Yup you're good to go. 7-11, am-pm, Lawson were part of my diet.

Don't remember room temperature pizza and hotdogs, but these two foods were pretty horrible in Japan to begin with so I prolly just ignored them.

I liked sando, bento, man, onigiri, and a bunch of other stuff. Ow don't forget Calorie mates from MG and the wierd apple-sauce-jelly-caprisun-juice-bag-thingy. Anyway, I never had a problem with the konbini foods.

I even developed a tuna sando addiction around that lasted like a whole week. I must have eaten dozens of them. Don't judge me.

Tzadeck Wrote:There are a lot of stores in Japan, mostly in the inaka, that don't refrigerate their eggs.

eggs have high turnover so they're good.
the eggs in japan are way more fresh than in the US. you can tell just by looking at the yolk. that's why they can get away with eating it raw in so many situations.

on top of that US eggs are terrible, that's why we still have salmonella and why some countries don't.

Tzadeck Wrote:There are a lot of stores in Japan, mostly in the inaka, that don't refrigerate their eggs. You can stop worrying about the pizza and hot dogs.

A lot of food preservation and safety ideas are cultural rather than scientific.

Supermarkets in Australia don't usually refrigerate their eggs either. They don't need to be refrigerated. Doing so extends their shelf life however, so unless you have a similar turn-over to the supermarket, it's smart to refrigerate them when you get them home.

jettyke Wrote:http://mamatasukaru.net/skin/images/kyon...G_1943.JPG
My acquaintance recommends this book.

I'm going to buy that now lol

let me tell you a story. I once went to a sunkis in ueno(not a 7-11 but a　コンビニ nonetheless), I bought a bento which was good, and presumbly fresh, however when I went up to the counter I also decided to get a chicken 串刺し, when i said that cashier grinned a sinister smile and gave me the chicken 串刺し. As I was walking to the nearby ueno park to eat my lunch I looked at my reciept and noticed he did not charge me for the chicken kushizashi, so I took a bit of chicken from it and it was the most nastiest chicken I had ever tasted in my life, even more disgusting then the cheapest of take out chinese restaraunts in the USA. never again did i eat chicken in japan. also while i was eating my food in ueno park a drunk salaryman came up to me and asked me if i liked japanese food(in english) with a big smile on his face, so maybe even he too knew that for the most part those things that sit in the grill in a konbini are just for show, and that you should never eat them.

ta12121 Wrote:

jettyke Wrote:http://mamatasukaru.net/skin/images/kyon...G_1943.JPG
My acquaintance recommends this book.

I'm going to buy that now lol

Good luck!

I once got food poisoning from a konbini yakisoba, and ended up on a 点滴.

I think I was just really unlucky though.

Ending up on a 点滴 is standard procedure in Japan, of course.

When I was at 7-11 today I looked at the pizza and hot dogs that were wrapped on the unrefrigerated shelf -- the pizza all expired tomorrow afternoon (at most), and the hot dogs were two days from now, so it's not *that* bad. Hot dogs have tons of preservatives and salt anyway, so I doubt it's that dangerous especially since it's wrapped. The bentos cycle every day, usually multiple times a day, and they're usually in the refrigerated section so you may like those better.

The store here in Australia where I buy eggs doesn't refrigerate them, neither do I.

I must say that of the hundred or so trips I've made to Japan, it would never have occurred to me to eat junk such as pizza or hot dogs.

nothing in a konbini is safe...

Maa, buying at a コンビニ is not so good idea anyway if you want to save money, but that's a different issue.

I`m more concerned about buying raw fish in supermarkets. I fairly often see raw fish lying unrefrigerated on a counter, where the temperature is about 20+° (and where they can catch every germ / sneeze).

p.s. not just Australian Supermarkets, but also Italian ones don't usually refrigerate their eggs.

cangy Wrote:nothing in a konbini is safe...

Everything in a konbini is safe!

things made of wheat and tomato sauce dont usually decay very fast. because the sauce is acidic and the other ingredients are over processed (pasteurized and irradiated and stuff)
this is junk food alright

kainzero Wrote:

Tzadeck Wrote:There are a lot of stores in Japan, mostly in the inaka, that don't refrigerate their eggs.

eggs have high turnover so they're good.
the eggs in japan are way more fresh than in the US. you can tell just by looking at the yolk. that's why they can get away with eating it raw in so many situations.

on top of that US eggs are terrible, that's why we still have salmonella and why some countries don't.

Hasn't the colour of the yolk got more to do with how the bird was raised? Your standard egg in the UK comes from birds who barely ever get to flap their wings, let alone see the light of day and eat a good diet. Free-range birds get to eat grass and bugs, so they end up laying eggs that actually contain some vitamins. I believe it's beta carotene in particular that gives egg yolk and butter a nice orangey colour. The eggs I had in Japan did seem extra orangey though. I wonder how they raise the birds there, or if the chickens are a different breed or something. UK eggs don't have white shells.

As for freshness, I've never bought or even seen eggs in a refrigerator in the UK. They usually have a sell-by date that lasts more than a month too. The package usually says 'refrigerate after purchase to maintain freshness.' It makes sense they'd be fresher if they were treated like meat, but I've never had any problems. It doesn't seem like they stay on the shelf for more than a day either.

A vet friend of mine recently pointed out that eggs will keep fine at room temperature for at least three weeks, because this is the length of time they have to stay ‘fresh’ under a warm hen if being hatched...

Javizy Wrote:Hasn't the colour of the yolk got more to do with how the bird was raised? Your standard egg in the UK comes from birds who barely ever get to flap their wings, let alone see the light of day and eat a good diet. Free-range birds get to eat grass and bugs, so they end up laying eggs that actually contain some vitamins. I believe it's beta carotene in particular that gives egg yolk and butter a nice orangey colour. The eggs I had in Japan did seem extra orangey though. I wonder how they raise the birds there, or if the chickens are a different breed or something. UK eggs don't have white shells.

ah, you're right.
you said what i wanted to say, only i didn't say it properly. lol =)