TOKYO - A JAPANESE sweet company announced on Wednesday it had stopped manufacturing yam jellies blamed for the deaths of at least 17 people in recent years.

MannanLife, said it has suspended production of Konnyaku Batake, a cupped jelly made of a yam paste called konjac and known as devil's tongue in English.

A package of Konnyaku Batake comes with six to 12 small heart-shaped plastic containers, designed for consumers to squeeze and suck out a mouthful of jelly.

The jelly, flavoured with a variety of fruits like mango, lemon and grape, has been popular because of its low calorie count and its intestinal benefits.

However, at least 17 people in Japan have choked to death on the chewy sweets since 1995, the latest being a one-year-old boy who died in July.

The European Union and South Korea banned the yam jelly following similar incidents.

MannanLife decided to suspend the products after a meeting last week with Seiko Noda, the state minister of consumer affairs, who asked for clearer warnings or a recall.

'Because it would be difficult to take measures endorsed by the minister, the company decided to suspend the production,' said a MannanLife employee in charge of product quality, who asked not to be named due to the issue's sensitivity.

The food maker will air a television warning from Friday, alerting customers who have bought the product. No decision has yet been made on when to resume production, the employee added.

Consumer bodies have demanded that makers of the jellies improve the shape of containers so people would not need to suck the sweet out and risk choking.

The government has never moved to ban the candies as Japan has no laws regulating how a product is served.

MannanLife is based in Gunma prefecture north of Tokyo, the nation's largest production centre for konnyaku yams, which are common in Japanese cuisine. -- AFP