TOKYO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A boxed meal maker in northeastern Japan has been banned by public health authorities from operating due to hundreds of food poisoning cases caused by its products, local media reported.

Yoshidaya, a local maker of boxed meals, commonly known as "bento" in Japanese, voluntarily suspended operations starting Sunday, after being banned from operations on Saturday by public health authorities in Aomori Prefecture.

Nearly 300 people from 24 prefectures in the country, more than half the number of prefectures across Japan, reported symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting after eating bento meals supplied by the company based in Hachinohe city, Aomori Prefecture.

The number of patients might further increase, a public health official in Hachinohe said.

Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, which cause food poisoning, were detected in the feces of the patients who ate bento meals as well as unopened products made by the company, Japan's Jiji Press reported, citing Hachinohe public health officials. Enditem

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