EU tightens radiation checks on Japanese food
Reuters
Published Mar 24, 2011 03:55PM ET
BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Thursday to reinforce radiation controls on imports of food and animal feed from Japan to guard against contamination from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Food and feed from the 12 worst affected prefectures will have to be tested for radionuclides before leaving Japan, and be accompanied by a declaration from the Japanese authorities that they do not breach EU radiation limits, the European Commission said in a statement.
When the food arrives in Europe, at least 10 percent of it will be randomly checked, including using laboratory analysis. Random inspections will also be made on 20 percent of food imports from Japan's other 35 prefectures.
The 12 prefectures concerned are: Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba.
European governments approved the measures at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, and they are expected to enter force on Sunday.
(Reporting by Pete Harrison, editing by Rex Merrifield)
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