Beef shipments resume from Fukushima Pref

zichi:

If there's no radiation problem in a prefecture then the food will be safe too.

That is true only if you are talking about all raw produce and meat being checked at points of origin in these contaminated prefectures. A large percentage of foodstuff at your local supermarket is the result of processing of ingredients from all over the country. Condensed and dried milk products are in many items. So is wheat, barley and rice. Since the farmland is not being properly decontaminated, we are theoretically looking at a continuous long-term consumption of low-dose radioisotopes for a lifetime.

And I haven't even mentioned seafood. That is something that has slipped under the radar, somewhat, because the main focus for everyone seems to be land-based radiation. Fish and seaweed products are used in everything from miso to dashi.

There doesnt seem to be much respect for prefectural boundaries with this industrial accident. Everyone will get their proper dose in time.

I meant don't get lulled by the lies that everything is safe.

I agree with horrified,

Municipalities knowingly procured beef and vegetables from Fukushima and surrounding prefectures to put into school lunches after the Nuclear accident. WHY do something like this.

It's not like this nuclear incidents after effects is going to go away in a year and the NPP in question is still kicking out pollutants real time and the wind is taking it where ever.

So everybody in Japan be totally cautious about foodstuff don't get lulled be the lies. People are still having their foodstuff checked in the Ukraine even after 25 years cause foodstuff is still contaminated because of the soil and whatnot.

Oh by the way the sunflowers that were planted to absorb the cesium around Fukushima No. 1 NPP only absorbed 0.05 percent of the cesium so the farm ministry seems disappointed but really what did they expect.

zichi:

The majority of the prefectures do not have foodstuffs contaminated by radiation and anyone giving that impression is misleading and fear mongering.

While it's true the majority of food is not contaminated, the problem is we don't know what products are contamination-free. If the authorities were thoroughly scanning everything that hits market and also publishing results, we would be able to restore consumer confidence.

This isn't happening and what minor social pressure there is to promote more checks is not getting much mainstream media attention. I think a bit of fear-mongering is the order of the day to help promote awareness of the very real risks.

Thanks, Darren. MUCH appreciated.

@Darren - Thanks VERY much for posting all of that valuable information. It seems like you've really done your homework!! Do you regularly post anywhere (?) or know of any Facebook pages or other ways for foreign residents of Japan to get/share information about the latest radiation readings, how to acquire safe food, and other issues affecting our health post 3-11?

My wife is Japanese and we make sure our beef says 米国　the Kanjis for USA, then Canada, Mexico, sometimes Australia, but come on, I love Japan but I am not stupid enough to think that everything is just fine up there in Fukushima when they found CESSIUM here in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, which is next to me in WESTERN TOKYO!!!

http://blog.safecast.org/

Educate yourself. The life you save may be your own.

The only two reasons I could think of at the moment for the release of tainted foodstuff on the population of Japan is Population reduction and Money. Both reasons are inhumane to say the least.

I've been making a point of only buying imported foods, especially meats. Thankfully, my local Maruetsu supermarket has a steady supply of Aussie beef.

This is sad, they may cause a panic on beef thru out the country. As you have seen Australia and New Zealand have stepped up on the commercials for Beef. The Government of Japan has to be careful before releasing such articles. I usually buy beef from Australia and the US but will be more vigilant on the beef I buy from Japan. I feel sorry for the Fukushima farmers and hope the TEPCO will reimburse them for the current and future losses.

There just needs to be a through, reliable and transparent testing program for all foods from potentially affected areas. We need safe food and the farmers and coops need to make ends meet.

That's the only possible solution that's fair to consumers and producers.

everyone is rightfully complaining. It is crazy. But no one is doing anything. It is time to go to the parliament and say "enough is enough"

The Munya Times got it right. The creeping contamination is insidious and will be pervasive. In addition to the unsafe things declared "safe" under current provisional standards or never checked at all, will be the vast river of banned, unsafe items re-entering the food/cosmetic/animal feed/medicine/supplement system by indirect routes.

Aonori, seaweed, veggie juice and supplements, tofu, butter, flour, canned milk-tea and latte, chocolate, ice cream, you name it. And then there are the things normal people never know about--additives for texture, flavor, color, volume, collagen, firming, etc.

It's going to be almost impossible to avoid all of this, and the effect is cumulative.

I've relocated to near Shikoku and we can buy a lot of local produce. That is good. But now, seeing all the Fukushima, Nagano, Ibaraki and Chiba produce flooding the local markets when none was ever here before, we are getting scared about the local school lunches, about fish, about most everything. If it were just me I'd probably take my chances, but we have an unborn baby, a toddler, a kindergartener and a first-grader. How can I just sit here and hope it will all be OK?

Official pronouncements that are outright lies like "we are achieving cold shutdown" and "all cattle will be tested and safe" make me thing I'm better off leaving Japan, even if it means the end of my current career path.

It's quite simple. Just don't eat beef. complaining never help no solve any problems. Personal safety is an individual responsibility.

Doesn't make any difference, it's not only about the meat, for the bone and other parts as well in processed form (dried, powdered, colored, mixed with different additives etc.) are already in circulation since the disaster.

Some processed parts of the cows such as skin, bone are regularly used additives not only in the catering but in the medical and cosmetic industry as well.

I don't care what it is, I'm not eating any food if I know it comes from Fukushima or the neighboring prefectures. I've also tried to avoid vegetables grown in Kanto, but you never what the heck they use in the cafeterias and restaurants.

I understand the govt. wants to appease the farmers, who would get their meat onto the market no matter what condition it was in

This makes them NO better than some producers in mainland China who'll do anything for that extra buck. They'll use chemicals or hormones to visually improve the food. Likewise, these farmers aren't sure whether their food is contaminated but they don't give a damn as long as the money comes rolling in. I feel sorry for the vegetable growers, but they should be compensated or assisted financially, not force feed everyone with food that may or may not be contaminated. This reminds me of those people selling whale or dolphin meat knowing full well they've got heavy metals, just to further their own cause - screw everyone use, like children.

Criminal and pathetic.

import gyoza sounds better by the day.....................

The DSP government cannot be trusted. I wouldn't buy Fukushima beef period. The safety standards (radiation levels) are set for the producers and farmers, and not for the consumers. But "Where's the Beef"?

Schools in Suginami-ku are listing origins of all produce used in school lunches on their websites.

@trose

not so long ago in the U.S., beef infected with mad-cow disease were being sold despite its strict food inspection system.

I'm afraid you have been duped by Japan's well-oiled agriculture propaganda machine on that one.

At the time, Japan had 26 mad-cow cases to the US's 3, but agricultural concerns and the Japanese government, with cooperation of the Japanese press, successfully deceived the Japanese public into thinking that Japanese beef was safe while beef from abroad was deadly.

Here are the worldwide figures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy

"The agriculture ministry said that all cattle from the prefecture will undergo tests for radiation before being shipped."

About the only 'testing' the agriculture ministry is doing is the weight of the envelopes they receive to resume shipments and/or how much complaining about how 'unfair' it is that Fukushima has to bear the burden of bans on livestock, etc. You'll soon hear, after it's admitted the cattle were not inspected properly and cesium has been detected in Fukushima exports here and there, the minister say, "We should all ingest some radiation nation wide to better understand and remove the burden solely from the people of Fukushima!"

trose: "For example, not so long ago in the U.S., beef infected with mad-cow disease were being sold despite its strict food inspection system"

I don't think so. The problem with the US system is their lack of testing, not tainted products. Only a few cows have been discovered with BSE, and did enter the food chain.

Anyway, the so-called testing being done in these areas actually makes US testing look simply amazing!

@beangry

This why dr. Kodama denounced the Japanese parliament, they'd simply rather look after business interests instead of health. An utter disgrace. I know many people who boycott this foods, can't trust the local officials to use arbitrary radiation tests, they're not independent or even qualified - even if they had the tools, which they don't.

I'm glad I'm not the only fan of him in this forum...Mr. Kodama is my hero!! (^_^) Cheers~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9sTLQSZfwo&feature=related

Most of the guys here are fortunate who come from countries where safe foods are available.

On a somewhat positive note, I know that my family is safe consuming imported food here in Japan. Thanks to the decades-long concerted protectionist drive on the part of Japanese politicians and agricultural concerns, those imports are more stringently inspected, scrutinized and vetted than is the case with food imports possibly anywhere else in the world.

It’s another story for food made in Japan. Pressured by Japanese agricultural concerns, Japan’s food-safety inspectors knowingly turn a blind eye to ‘minor’ health-impacting infractions in Japan’s food distribution chain — though such concerns are pinpointed immediately, and regularly make propaganda-evoking headlines, when the infraction is related to an import.

Heck, I’m even buying food from China in favor of that with the ever-prominent ‘kokusan’ (made/grown/raised in Japan) label nowadays; and the imported food is still much more inexpensive.

Amendment, spelt Fukushima wrong

Beef shipments resume from Fukishima,.......Thanks for the warning

I don't eat Tohoku food or imported Genetically Moified food. All I can say is thank Allah that in Japan, food is labelled by it's prefectural origin. This will be next to go.

Zichi@,

That depends on the city in question. It varies widely, and some in Kansai have got deplorable menus, but there are many that use fresh local veggies by farmers in their own communities. Kanagawa and Tokyo schools had problems because they imported meat from affected areas, so it's a toss up with fish and meat since they cant always be local. I know many people doing EXACTLY like you; in fact I know some who won't touch any food notlrth of Kyushu.

Burakumin@,

The govt doesn't care about farmers, this is about big business and always was. When he nationwide chains saw major drops in sales they jumped; many farmers lost everything and will never get sorted. Bottom line everyone here seems to agree on is: no radiation in the food. The govt calls 500 bq safe, but it isn't.

Their logic: The radioactive stuff is basically all over the place and out of our control, so a little radioactive beef can't hurt, can it?

アメリカン beef never looked so good!!!!!

I am not talking about foods imported to your country from Japan. What I would like to say is how you are sure your domestically produced foods are safe enough. For example, not so long ago in the U.S., beef infected with mad-cow disease were being sold despite its strict food inspection system. Since even the developed countries like U.S. are like in this situation, I think the state of less developed countries are even worse. Wherever you are, you will never be safe.

Well, I am at a loss. Imagine the backroom dealings that got this through. Sickening. It's getting harder to stay here everyday. How can they poison their own population? (I hate being angry typing guy, but frustration grows daily)

I understand the govt. wants to appease the farmers, who would get their meat onto the market no matter what condition it was in. However, my concern is the lack of testing. Up until recently, testing was virtually non-existant - there are hardly and facilities and each machine can only do a few samples per day. The former vice minister of industry admitted that testing was hopelessly inadequate (on an NHK doco). I doubt the situation has changed. I would still be reluctant to trust this meat.

Bluewitch, alladin, spidapig@ Right on with your comments. Badmigraine has some good points too. I mean the article clearly says they sold contaminated beef to peole since march, so these aren't "fears" at all but rather confirmed contaminants.

What's worse is that's it's 99% preventable: a blanket ban just like Chernobyl. Badmigraibe correctly points out that they do not have the capability of checking all beef and that in order to do these tests, they have to reduce checking veggies and hoer foods. This why dr. Kodama denounced the Japanese parliament, they'd simply rather look after business interests instead of health. An utter disgrace. I know many people who boycott this foods, can't trust the local officials to use arbitrary radiation tests, they're not independent or even qualified - even if they had the tools, which they don't.

trose

spidapin24 Althougn I do not know where you are from, I thing your home country the same as or worse than Japan.

I dont think so, my home country actually would not sell food it knows is contaminated with radiation. Which is why it was testing food imported from here

spidapin24 Althougn I do not know where you are from, I thing your home country the same as or worse than Japan.

Great news everybody! They stopped the nuke disaster and scraped all the plutonium off the fields and schools. Finally back to normal. Yeharrr!

Incredible disinformation and deception.

Remember about a month ago when it was reported that they will check one animal every 3 months? This is the confirmation you will get. Probably, the farmer can select the animal to be checked, so that one can be kept and fed a special diet to ensure a clean test result.

There is no equipment, funding or system for this at the national level, let alone at the "local government" level, to actually confirm safety of such a volume of beef. The practical technology infrastructure doesn't even exist. It probably never will. It would take too long and increase market price too much, when there is plenty of other beef on the market that does not require such testing.

Also, remember the special definition of "safe" that we now enjoy. Today in Japan, the legally safe standard for food and drink is in some cases many times higher than an international standard for nuclear waste, which would require special handling and processing. Google kizyunti_e.pdf for an interesting look at this.

Beef shipments resumed from Fukushima Prefecture on Friday two months after restrictions were imposed over fears that cattle had been contaminated in the nuclear accident.

Ok so we have gone from yes it was contaminated to "fears that cattle had been contaminated" FFS the cattle were contaminated your tests even proved it. And your response was to allow the population to eat the meat so why on earth would anyone believe a word you lying scum say. Even if it is contaminated your incompetence or complicity will allow it to be sold and eaten anyway. This is why l will never ever buy Japanese beef and limit other foods grown in this country because you cannot be trusted. I would rather pay more and eat imported food than trust your pathetic attempts at food safety controls.

Ship all of the beef from Fukushima to all over Japan and let the whole country suffer!! This is totally outrageous!

Affected animals had been sold since late March, with much of the meat eaten in restaurants and school canteens and at family dinner tables nationwide

SHAMELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on time announcement/delivery to celebrate Respect for the Aged day !

I sure would like to hear more about these tests. Is the animal feed also being subjected to tests?

Local governments must now inspect all cattle before allowing the beef to be shipped

Are they inspecting cattle or beef?

lifted after safety measures protecting livestock from contamination were put in place.

Safety measures such as? Washing hands perhaps? Wearing gauze masks? Making the cows gargle?