Two men have been arrested for allegedly harming the business of the Japanese beef bowl chain Yoshinoya after video emerged of one of them eating from a container of toppings meant for all customers, Osaka police said on Tuesday.

Ryu Shimazu, 35, and Toshihide Oka, 34, are also suspected of damaging property after a Yoshinoya restaurant in Osaka was forced to discard red pickled ginger toppings and sanitise its containers.

According to the police, on Sept 29, Shimazu used chopsticks that he had eaten with to take some toppings from a container that he then ate, while Oka filmed him on a smartphone. The video was posted on social media and shared widely.

The police said the two admitted to the allegations, with Shimazu quoted as saying, “I wanted to make everyone laugh.” 

Yoshinoya is among Japan’s most popular beef bowl chains, with 1,195 outlets. 

Yoshinoya Holdings Co said that it is a “source of great regret that this has become news that calls into question the safety and security of eating out in general”.

The trend started ealier this year when a customer at sushi eatery was filmed licking soy sauce bottles and food traveling on conveyor belts. It has also given rise to the phrase “sushi terrorism” to describe the behaviour in the videos.