Japan’s Food-Chain Threat Multiplies as Fukushima Radiation Spreads

By Aya Takada – “Radiation fallout from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant poses a growing threat to Japan’s food chain as unsafe levels of cesium found in beef on supermarket shelves were also detected in more vegetables and the ocean.

More than 2,600 cattle have been contaminated, Kyodo News reported July 23, after the Miyagi local government said 1,183 cattle at 58 farms were fed hay containing radioactive cesium before being shipped to meat markets.

Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano has said officials didn’t foresee that farmers might ship contaminated hay to cattle ranchers. That highlights the government’s inability to think ahead and to act, said Mariko Sano, secretary general for Shufuren, a housewives organization in Tokyo.

‘The government is so slow to move,’ Sano said. ‘They’ve done little to ensure food safety.’

Aeon Co., Japan’s biggest supermarket chain, said today 4,108 kilograms (9,056 pounds) of beef suspected of being contaminated was inadvertantly put on sale at 174 stores across Japan.” Read more.

Japan to Buy Australian Beef on Nuclear Radiation Concern – “Japanese demand for Australian beef may increase after radiation was found in domestic meat and amid concern that cesium leaks from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant may spread further, according to Australian Agricultural Co. Ltd. ‘We’re expecting to see better demand out of Japan as they move away from their own herds,’ chief executive officer David Farley said on a conference call today. That follows a boost in demand for beef after radiation was detected in Japan’s seafood in March, he said.” Read more.

Children in Fukushima to Have Medical Checks for Thyroid Cancer Throughout Lifetime – “Children living in Fukushima Prefecture, the area hardest hit by the nuclear crisis in Japan, will receive medical checks for thyroid cancer for the rest of their lives. The local government of Fukushima says around 3-hundred-60 thousand children will start to have thyroid cancer checks from December this year.” Read more.