Flies and maggots in shock squad meals? The players filed a direct complaint against him
Aug 25, 2025
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Rakuten, a professional team based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, has been controversial since last year. On the 6th, Taiwan 'CTWANT Magazine' received a tip from unnamed Rakuten players and reported that a team meal provided by the club on August 2 contained dead flies, and even live maggots were crawling around," he reported.
One player, who asked not to be named, said "Isn't living maggots really too much. The fish and tofu dishes also smelled bad that day" reported a picture of the evidence along with the story.
The Taiwanese professional team, formerly known in Korea as the Ramigo Monkeys, was acquired by a Japanese conglomerate 'Rakuten' ahead of the 2020 season. However, the quality of the team's meals began to decline last year, and in April this year, players submitted photos of evidence of poor meals to the media.
Most of the food was greasy, unpalatable, and there were few meat dishes. In addition, some foods were mixed with plastic or plastic pieces. At the time, Rakuten made an official apology, saying it would improve by listening to the players' opinions", but it was not kept.
According to Taiwanese media at the time, the Rakuten club fired three chefs in charge of the club while cutting the meal budget. After it was reported in the media, it improved for about two weeks, but the condition deteriorated again in two weeks. Fatty, salty, and inexpensive frozen or processed foods were provided.
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After being in trouble once in April, the CPBL players' union issued a statement expressing serious concern when bugs came out in early August. The CPBL players union said "Food safety is just as important as stadium safety. This is a fundamental labor right, and issues related to athlete health..." he said in an official statement. In addition, the Taoyuan City Health Bureau has launched an investigation into any food safety violations.
It was a 'catering scandal' that shook the entire Taiwanese league. In Taiwan, where the level has improved quite a lot, many baseball fans were shocked that a club with a Japanese parent company slapped catering unit prices and provided low-quality food to professional players.
Accordingly, the Rakuten club issued a statement on its official website on the 7th and immediately cooperated with the Health Bureau's audit, and decided to replace the current catering company immediately. We will ensure the hygiene and safety of the players' meals in the future. I will coordinate with my nutritionist to meet the nutritional status of the players"I deeply apologize for this incident. I will improve the system in the future," he bowed his head.
Vice Chairman and CEO Yuki Makino, who took office in May this year, convened the pre-match squad on the 8th to express his apology. Vice Chairman Makino said, `Our top priority is to improve the nutrition and physical strength of our players. It has absolutely nothing to do with the budget. Even with a limited budget, there is no compromise on nutrition. "We are looking for a company that applies stricter standards, and we will provide delivery food until we find a new company. In the future, we will seek full cooperation from catering companies to comply with stricter standards and ensure food safety.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
