TOKYO, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- After McDonald's Japan apologized Saturday for plastic pieces found in its food, it admitted a human tooth was found in French fries sold in Osaka. McDonald's Holding Co. (Japan) Ltd., the operator of the chain in Japan, also disclosed a third incident of plastic found over the weekend in its meals. It added it is still investigating the issue of the tooth, noting the tooth was not fried although it was contained in a packet of fried food, none of the employees of the Osaka McDonald's had lost a tooth and employees of the food processing plant wear masks at work. The incident was first reported in August.

Since a scandal, involving tainted meat from a Chinese supplier, surfaced in July 2013, McDonald's sales in Japan have fallen by about 10 percent per month. The company said it expects to record its first annual loss in 11 years in this fiscal year.


Company director Takehiko Aoki tried to separate the matters of foreign objects in food and contaminated meat Wednesday, saying, "We respond differently to individual contamination issues from bigger food-quality problems. Individual cases happen in various places and various forms, but they don't cause big health problems in a continuous manner."