MannanLife Co., Japan's largest maker of "konnyaku" (devil's tongue) jelly, said it halted production and shipment of all products Wednesday after it was reported that 17 children and elderly people have choked to death on konnyaku jelly since 1995.
In the most recent case, a 1-year-old boy in Hyogo Prefecture died late last month while eating the jelly.
The Gunma Prefecture-based maker of Konnyaku Batake brand products will begin advertising campaigns, including TV commercials, to alert consumers to the products' danger, as retailers still have outstanding inventory to sell, an official in the firm's product liability department said.