Sewage trucks made to smell like chocolate

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Updated Oct 4, 2016
A Toho employee in Osaka, Japan pours a fragrant oil into a sewage truck which emits a chocolate scent.A Toho employee in Osaka, Japan pours a fragrant oil into a sewage truck which emits a chocolate scent.

Sewage trucks that smell like chocolate?!

In Osaka, Japan the Toho sanitation company is now adding a fragrance additive to oil used in its sewage vacuum trucks which emits a chocolate-like scent.

Aromatic scents from Yamamoto Fragrance and Shikibo are commonly used in diapers and pet products. However, to help combat the nose-curling odors of sewage trucks, a deodorizer dubbed Deo Magic VC1 was devised with Toho’s help.

Mitsubishi-Fuso Canter trucks with the chocolate additive hit the road last week in Osaka and according to Asian news website, rocketnews24.com, have been met with mixed results.

While a promotional video on YouTube depicts employees and Osaka residents embracing the chocolate scent, others took to social media to vent their concerns.

“I’ll never be able to eat chocolate ever again,” one Twitter user posted.

“Why couldn’t they just aim for something odorless instead?” another asked.

“Why did they have to use the smell of something brown? They should’ve used a fresh orange fragrance instead,” another Tweet suggests.

Who knows? Chocolate may just be the first scent of many to emanate from Japanese sewage trucks. While it’s hard to say if other truck companies are lining up to buy it, Toho sells 20 liters of Deo Magic VC1 for $344.