Japanese Fearful of Govt-Set Radiation Standards for Food
Suspicions government acting on behalf of producers, not public health
As Japan has raised the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, many Japanese are fearful that radiation has contaminated their diet.
Agence France-Presse reports:
In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear crisis, Tokyo announced it was raising the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, meaning produce that would previously have been thrown out was suddenly alright.
Rice grown just a short distance from the plant was declared safe after spot sampling, but later tests revealed radiation levels far higher than even the new raised limits.
Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, said the official declaration that food with five times the previous "safe" level of radiation was fit for consumption raised suspicions the government was acting on behalf of producers, instead of consumers.
"It's too high. The government set the provisional safety standard to cope with the reality, rather than to protect people," he told AFP.
In response to public pressure, Tokyo says that from April no food will be permitted for sale if it has more than 100 becquerels of radiation per kilogramme (two pounds), down from 500 at present. [...]
In a bid to regain shoppers' trust, Japan's largest supermarket chain, Aeon, has decided to ignore government guidelines and carry out its own tests on the food it sells.
Aeon vice president Yasuhide Chikazawa says setting a "safe limit" for radiation is meaningless because consumers are unwilling to accept it.
* * *
Earlier this week, the European Commission had said it would extend restrictions on imports of Japanese food products to the European Union, Kyodo reports. However, the "commission also decided to reduce the frequency of sample inspections on Japanese food products when they are transported to the EU region as it has determined that the possibility of the products containing radioactive materials surpassing Europe's allowable levels is currently 'considerably low.'"
* * *
Farmers whose land is inside the evacuation zone have had to make difficult decisions about their livestock. Many of the animals died a slow, painful death of starvation after the area was evacuated. The meat from the surviving cattle is unable to be sold due to radiation levels, and the government had ordered them to euthanize their cattle. The Guardian looks at one farmer who's defied the government order to kill his animals. "I could never kill these cows. They are like members of my family," says the farmer.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
As Japan has raised the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, many Japanese are fearful that radiation has contaminated their diet.
Agence France-Presse reports:
In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear crisis, Tokyo announced it was raising the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, meaning produce that would previously have been thrown out was suddenly alright.
Rice grown just a short distance from the plant was declared safe after spot sampling, but later tests revealed radiation levels far higher than even the new raised limits.
Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, said the official declaration that food with five times the previous "safe" level of radiation was fit for consumption raised suspicions the government was acting on behalf of producers, instead of consumers.
"It's too high. The government set the provisional safety standard to cope with the reality, rather than to protect people," he told AFP.
In response to public pressure, Tokyo says that from April no food will be permitted for sale if it has more than 100 becquerels of radiation per kilogramme (two pounds), down from 500 at present. [...]
In a bid to regain shoppers' trust, Japan's largest supermarket chain, Aeon, has decided to ignore government guidelines and carry out its own tests on the food it sells.
Aeon vice president Yasuhide Chikazawa says setting a "safe limit" for radiation is meaningless because consumers are unwilling to accept it.
* * *
Earlier this week, the European Commission had said it would extend restrictions on imports of Japanese food products to the European Union, Kyodo reports. However, the "commission also decided to reduce the frequency of sample inspections on Japanese food products when they are transported to the EU region as it has determined that the possibility of the products containing radioactive materials surpassing Europe's allowable levels is currently 'considerably low.'"
* * *
Farmers whose land is inside the evacuation zone have had to make difficult decisions about their livestock. Many of the animals died a slow, painful death of starvation after the area was evacuated. The meat from the surviving cattle is unable to be sold due to radiation levels, and the government had ordered them to euthanize their cattle. The Guardian looks at one farmer who's defied the government order to kill his animals. "I could never kill these cows. They are like members of my family," says the farmer.
As Japan has raised the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, many Japanese are fearful that radiation has contaminated their diet.
Agence France-Presse reports:
In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear crisis, Tokyo announced it was raising the permitted level of radiation in food by a factor of five, meaning produce that would previously have been thrown out was suddenly alright.
Rice grown just a short distance from the plant was declared safe after spot sampling, but later tests revealed radiation levels far higher than even the new raised limits.
Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, said the official declaration that food with five times the previous "safe" level of radiation was fit for consumption raised suspicions the government was acting on behalf of producers, instead of consumers.
"It's too high. The government set the provisional safety standard to cope with the reality, rather than to protect people," he told AFP.
In response to public pressure, Tokyo says that from April no food will be permitted for sale if it has more than 100 becquerels of radiation per kilogramme (two pounds), down from 500 at present. [...]
In a bid to regain shoppers' trust, Japan's largest supermarket chain, Aeon, has decided to ignore government guidelines and carry out its own tests on the food it sells.
Aeon vice president Yasuhide Chikazawa says setting a "safe limit" for radiation is meaningless because consumers are unwilling to accept it.
* * *
Earlier this week, the European Commission had said it would extend restrictions on imports of Japanese food products to the European Union, Kyodo reports. However, the "commission also decided to reduce the frequency of sample inspections on Japanese food products when they are transported to the EU region as it has determined that the possibility of the products containing radioactive materials surpassing Europe's allowable levels is currently 'considerably low.'"
* * *
Farmers whose land is inside the evacuation zone have had to make difficult decisions about their livestock. Many of the animals died a slow, painful death of starvation after the area was evacuated. The meat from the surviving cattle is unable to be sold due to radiation levels, and the government had ordered them to euthanize their cattle. The Guardian looks at one farmer who's defied the government order to kill his animals. "I could never kill these cows. They are like members of my family," says the farmer.