Radiation Spurs Fears Around Japanese Food

Shirley S. Wang
Wall Street Journal
March 17, 2011
The spiking radiation in Japan is spurring fears about food safety and prompting other countries to test Japanese imports, but any contamination would have the biggest impact on the Japanese, since most fruit, vegetable, meat and seafood are consumed domestically, say experts.

Regulators in India and Singapore have begun testing any Japanese-imported fresh produce for possible contamination. The European Commission also issued an alert to each of its member states Tuesday recommending additional surveillance on food products originating from Japan on or after March 15.

So far, there is no official evidence of any food contamination in Japan, according to Dave Byron, head of the food and environmental protection section in the joint division of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The joint division works directly with Japanese authorities and also has an office in the country.

The group assumes that Japanese authorities are monitoring the food supply and expects to see concrete testing data from Japan “in coming days,” said Mr. Byron. Japan has not requested FAO to provide technical assistance testing food products, but FAO would be able to assist the country’s authorities if asked, he said.
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