Food Standards scrap radioactivity rule to allow food imports from Fukushima

[TossaCointoyerWitcha]

Well, I guess that's one way to help the cost of living crisis - food that will both illuminate and heat the room! 😝

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/05/boris-johnson-fumio-kishida-share-fukushima-popcorn-radioactive

What happened to the government promising there'd be no relaxing of food standards to get trade deals?

Is this yet another Brexit win?

You'd think they'd want to announce it with great fanfare, wouldn't you? Not have it dribble out late in the evening, whilst everyone's distracted by (and already voted in) the local elections.

What pillocks.

I cant access it. What does it say?

A lot of countries, including the eu block have been removing or losening restrictions on various fukushima food importa for the last couple of years.

Should be fine, just swerve the fish.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666555722000065

It's because the risk is low, most food grown/produced in the area isn't radioactive and the controls were mainly in place to protect locals who's diet was made up of lots of locally produced food shortly after the accident.

Almost no-one in the UK is going to be eating significant amounts of food produced near Fukushima before or after this change. So even if imports are allowed, no-one's radiation dose will significantly increase, as was shown by the risk assessment that was done as part of the consultation.

www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/consultation-launched-ahead-of-possible-changes-to-fukushima-import-controls

We all receive a radiation dose from many sources including food and drink, and it was found that the likely dose to UK consumers from eating the occasional item imported from this part of Japan would be tiny compared with what we all receive anyway.

No need to panic - it is very strictly controlled and produce from the area is safe to consume
www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2022/01/19/Clear-of-nuclear-Japanese-government-urges-support-for-UK-s-proposed-lift-of-Fukushima-import-restrictions

i cannot see why we are importing anything edible from the other side of the planet, especially to feed children.
The radioactivity does not bother me though.

Why especially children?

A lot of countries, including the EU block have been removing or loosening restrictions on various Fukushima food imports for the last couple of years

Do you have a link

If this is correct, then perhaps we are the ones behind the curve. Did we maintain stricter standards for longer?

Everyone's been relaxing restrictions in dribs and drabs over time. That's the whole deal with radioactivity- it decays.
www.maff.go.jp/j/export/e_info/pdf/kisei_keii_en.pdf

www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/09/u-s-and-eu-ease-fukushima-import-rules/

eur-lex.europa.eu/search.html?scope=EURLEX&text=Fukushima&lang=en&type=quick&qid=1651818691418

If you Google fukushima and food restrixtions, you can see links to a lot of the other countries that have done the same.