Japan to Start Testing Domestic Foods for Radioactivity, Ministry Says
By Aya Takada - Mar 17, 2011 10:28 PM ET
Japan will start testing of agricultural and marine food products as early as today for possible contamination by radioactivity, as the nation struggles to stem pollution from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.
“We have requested each prefectural governor to start testing to prevent shipments of contaminated foods into the market,” Kumiko Tanaka at the policy planning and communication division of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said today in a phone interview. “We expect testing to start as early as today.”
Foods required for testing include grains, milk, vegetables, meat and eggs, she said.
Asian countries have started to screen food imports from Japan following explosions at the plant that raised radiation levels at the complex to harmful levels.
To contact the reporter on this story: Aya Takada in Tokyo at atakada2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Poole at jpoole4@bloomberg.net
