What is the best way for the Japanese government and companies to assure overseas food importers that food products from Japan are safe despite the ongoing nuclear crisis?

This question is kind of like one of those oxymorons, "Japanese Government" and "assure" or "safe" just don't work together. Maybe they could buy trust from small developing countries, that has worked well for them in the past!

The government can use the same standards on Japanese food exports that the government uses on food imports: i.e. Find one bad piece of beef? Ban all beef imports from that country. Find rat droppings in one bag of rice? Ban all rice imports from that country.

Find one batch of radioactive spinach? Ban all exports of spinach.

Easy.

Send it all to America as that is the only country Japan trades with anyway. You can not expect countries that have suffered years of import/export abuse by the Japanese government not to play on this as a political thing. The food can be perfect and individually tested but still not chance of selling it.

I think they should be more concerned about convincing the Japanese people the food is safe. Most of the people I know are specifically buying imported food stuffs.

Allow representatives from other countries to which Japan exports foodstuffs to conduct tests for radioactive contaminants in Japanese foodstuffs jointly with Japanese authorities before these foodstuffs are exported from Japan.

They can't. It's nearly all poisoned with radiation. Imported food stuffs isdoing great business. All the Japanese I've talked to just hate the govt.

@susano Sad to see ignorance instead of knowledge; the truth is what Japan's government says, your imagination is not the truth. I live in Japan and since first day 100% reliable information is on TV every single day. The problem is, you can't even understand how difficult is 'lying' when a lot of countries are studying the same AT THE SAME TIME.

My response: A international and standard certification (with stamp on every single package) saying '100% safe'. This stamp can also be used internationally (it means, the development of this certification will be profitable too)

An* international and standard certification would help to those products from countries unable to export products (because some people don't trust them), exporting; some African countries, for example. This iniciative would even help their economies.

Susano nailed it, the govt lies, many companies lie, mislabel & once in a while some one gets caught so its in the news.

Bottom line while countries will want Japan exports tested they will ahve to do their own tesing upon arrival at destination & if ok it gets in if not it doesnt & then the commodity will be banned.

So absolutely Japan its time to be truthful

simple, learn to tell the truth.