McDonald's Japan has apologized to customers and vowed to ensure product safety after objects including a tooth and plastic were found in its food, the latest trouble for a fast-food chain hit by sliding sales and a shortage of french fries.
The chain, 49.9 percent-owned by McDonald's Corp (MCD.N), has been grappling with falling sales that began long before a food safety scandal last summer hit confidence in its products.
Convenience stores in particular have drawn away customers with broader ranges of ready-made meals and low-priced coffee.
McDonald's Japan brought in Chief Executive Sarah Casanova last March to reverse the trend, but the company is still on track to record its sixth straight year of sales declines and its first annual loss in 11 years.
Wednesday's apology came after a diner found a roughly 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) strip of vinyl in a Chicken McNugget at the weekend.
That prompted the chain to halt sales of nuggets made on the same day as the contaminated item at a plant in Thailand. The company is still investigating the cause.
Among other incidents, a human tooth was found in a customer's french fry in August, while a child in December cut his mouth on a piece of plastic that was in a chocolate sundae.
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