- Title: JAPAN: Wholesalers anxiously follow ban on vegetables from around nuclear zone
- Date: 23rd March 2011
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 22, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF TSUKIJI WHOLESALE MARKET VEGETABLE AUCTION AUCTION DEALER CALLING FOR BIDS AUCTION FOR SPINACH IN PROGRESS AUCTIONEERS BIDDING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 50-YEAR-OLD VEGETABLE RETAILER, SHOUJI FUTABAYA, SAYING: "The government says they're not harmful to human health, but customers will definitely refrain from buying these products." AUCTION DEALER CALLING FOR BIDS AUCTIONEERS BIDDING ON SPINACH SPINACH IN BOX (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 69-YEAR-OLD VEGETABLE RETAILER, SHOUICHI ISHIKAWA, small portion of their products, but the government put all products from Ibaraki into the ban. We won't have anything to eat with such a regulation." MORE OF SPINACH AUCTION BOXES OF SPINACH PILED UP SIGN ON BOX READING (IN JAPANESE) "IBARAKI PRODUCTS - SPINACH" (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MANAGING DIRECTOR OF "TOKYO CITY SEIKA" FOOD WHOLESALE COMPANY, HIROSHI FUJITA, SAYING: "These are spinach from Ibaraki which were banned by the government yesterday. They were sold (before the ban) but returned and we haven't found new buyers yet." VARIOUS OF MAN PILING UP BOXES OF SPINACHES (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) UNIDENTIFIED WHOLESALE MARKET WORKER SAYING: "I'm returning them because they are from Ibaraki." SIGN ON BOX READING (IN JAPANESE) "RETURNED - SPINACH"
- Embargoed: 7th April 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan, Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Health,Industry
- Reuters ID: LVACOETPGRB9DBMLOP3P5O7SX6HJ
- Story Text: Tokyo's vegetable wholesalers came back from a long weekend on Tuesday (March 22) facing supply halts of spinach and other green leaf vegetables from four prefectures adjacent to Fukushima, where a stricken nuclear reactor is leaking radation.
The Japanese government on Monday (March 21) had ordered a halt to all shipments of spinach, green vegetables and also unprocessed milk from dairies in Fukushima prefecture after radiation was found in samples collected in produce from these areas.
Tokyo's Tsukiji market was bustling with activity on Tuesday, but the government order was casting a shadow over grocers stocking up on supplies to sell in shops across the capital.
Many were worried that the order would make concerned consumers shy away from all vegetables, even those that are not likely to be effected.
"The government says they're not harmful to human health, but customers will definitely refrain from buying these products," said vegetable retailer Shouji Futabaya.
The health ministry said that radiation levels exceeded safety standards in Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki prefecture.
"It's only a small portion of their products, but the government put all products from Ibaraki into the ban. We won't have anything to eat with such a regulation," said vegetable retailer Shouichi Ishikawa, 69 years old.
Wholesalers at Tsukiji market said they had to dump about 100 boxes of spinach from Ibaraki prefecture which had been shipped to the market before the order was annoucned.
"These are spinach from Ibaraki which were banned by the government yesterday. They were sold (before the ban) but returned and we haven't found new buyers yet," Tsukiji Market managing director Hiroshi Fujita told Reuters.
"I'm returning them because they are from Ibaraki," said one market employee.
The government says Japanese food produced outside the nuclear crisis zone is safe.
But contamination concerns have spread to Japan's neighbours. China ordered local authorities on Monday (March 21) to inspect Japanese food imports for radiation, while South Korea vowed to step up screening for radioactive contamination on both farm products produced in Japan and foreign farm products shipped through Japan.
The World Health Organisation said the radiation impact was more serious than when it was first thought to be limited to 20-30km (12-19 miles) from the plant, and food contamination is not a localised problem. It says, however, there is no evidence of contaminated food from Fukushima reaching other countries.
Experts say readings are much lower than around Chernobyl in Ukraine after the 1985 accident. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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