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Fukushima rice goes on sale in Tokyo

32 Comments

Rice from Fukushima Prefecture went on sale in Tokyo over the weekend after being given the all-clear following rests for radioactivity by the Fukushima prefectural government last week.

Gov Yuhei Sato said that every bag of rice harvested in Fukushima will be tested for radiation, TBS reported. So far, all the bags have registered below the government-set limit of 100 becquerels per kilogram.

Sato said the prefecture expects this year's harvest to be about 360,000 tons.

Some supermarkets in Tokyo set up special corners for the Fukushima rice and reported good sales, TBS said.

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32 Comments
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Why should people have to accept this Govt. set limit of 100bq?

It should be "0".

Hope people power prevails and people boycott buying it.

Somehow, those little islands that have some Asian countries up in arms are more important than this.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

And Tokyo just keeps on lying to the public. What idiots are buying this stuff?

5 ( +7 / -3 )

will it be sold elsewhere as well? do i need a Geiger teller when i go shopping?

4 ( +4 / -2 )

I have to agree with Zichi -the time for measuring the radioactivity is far too short. In addition, what radioactive isotopes are present in the rice?

Why would it be a choice to to consume radioactive materials?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

So far, all the bags have registered below the government-set limit of 100 becquerels per kilogram.

Watch out for the cummulative effect as elements such as cecium do not go out of the body easily! The fact is that Fukushima rice is contaminated rice as of now and there are many other additional ways people are ingesting dangerous elements due to fukushima fallout apart from rice. You may today eat 100 becquerels of rice, eat another quantity in fruits and vegetables, take a cup of tea with contaminated tea leaves, etc etc. Within a month, you have accumulated enough besquels to even harm your body! How about in a year? The other day, butterfiles changed. humans can also change. Radiation is a silent killer, remember!

3 ( +3 / -1 )

No Thank You Fukushima rice.

3 ( +3 / -1 )

stop comparing bananas ( natural radiation ) to cesium isotopes - there is no connection between the 2!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Overchan - I suggest you move to fukushima and show the real spirit by working at the plant, less talk and more action!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I hate to think if rice and other products with any amount of radiation are nit sold on the open market how many chain restaurants or other mass production food and beverage manufactures will use it without notifing their customers. Personally I don't care I'm too old and not going to be having children but I fear for those that will. The issues of dubiouse testing procedure is also of concern. I accept that there's background radiation everywhere including bananas but additional exposure and consumption is not desirable or war rented at any risk to future generations.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

So I take it the farmers have deemed their own rice fit for consumption? big surprise. I'll be importing from now on, thanks.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

2020hindsight: "However, I would like to know if they are testing properly. They should have some oversight with the testing method and ensure that they are following established standards."

So far it's been the farmers who have tested their own crops. Do you seriously think they would give the crops the thumbs down? It's akin to asking Lance Armstrong to simply test himself for doping and submit his answer to the authorities.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I assume that the bigger part of the forumers here come from western countries and so we all should remember that the government-set limit for radioactivity in food in European countries is 500 Bq/kg and 500-600 Bq/kg in the USA. All food below this limit is considered safe. So everybody who is thinking about the 100 Bq/kg limit in Japan as being life-threatening, please remember that before you came here, a lot of the food you consumed in your home country probably contained more than 100 Bq/kg, though less than 500 Bq/kg. And... millions of people back there still consumes that “extremely dangerous” food.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Criminal greed.

Short-sighted blindness, move everyone out of the heavily contaminated regions, farm other areas. Plenty of islands. Plenty of space.

1 ( +2 / -2 )

EPIC FAIL! waiting to happen!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

One wonders whether the rice labelled as from Fukushima is priced at a discount. It would be nice to know if the reportedly good sales are due to pricing, or are the residents of Tokyo hoping their purchases will give financial support to the beleaguered farmers there.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yum, yum.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

www.facebook.com/Japan.Food.Safety

0 ( +2 / -1 )

Do they give out a free Geiger counter / radiation meds with every purchase?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Choices people, choices.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lately, I often see impossibly cheap "Kokusan" products on sale in my local supermarket. Living in Tokyo for a while, you get an idea of the price range of products. Six big tomatoes in my local Supermarket usually never retail under 498 JPY, but just yesterday, they had an offer of a bag of big tomatoes for 298 JPY, presented in paper boxes that said "From Fukushima-Ken", just someone had crossed that out and hand-written "Iwate" instead. It was such an obvious attempt at forgery that I was almost fooled at it. My J-Wife saw the price and grabbed a bag (without reading the label, of course), but I put it back and said I wasn't sure if it came from Fukushima-ken, to which she answered "but don't you want to support them?" Later that day I made the decision that given the options of living in Japan with her or divorce, I'd choose the latter. Luckily, she likes Europe better as well and we're scheduled to go back there in half a year. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and "Pi-Man" (what a stupid moniker) as well - they had a huge pack of 12 for 198 JPY, simply saying "Kokusan". People, if the prices are too good to be true, stay away.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JaneM, don't try introducing any sanity into the discussion.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Gov Yuhei Sato said that every bag of rice harvested in Fukushima will be tested for radiation, TBS reported.

zichi

There are some doubts about the method of testing. Each sample was tested for less than 10 seconds when the normal period would be 20 minutes.

I didn't see any mention of this? Is this in another news report? If so, does it mention if they are following any standard for these tests?

Zichi, why stop there? I recommend you avoid all food with any measurable level of any radiation.

japan_cynic

Like most emotional issues about radiation, this is an illogical response. It is over cautious.

However, I would like to know if they are testing properly. They should have some oversight with the testing method and ensure that they are following established standards.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I can ut my top of the line Geiger Counter in time mode. I think I will bring a beach chair and sit next to those bags and do some testing. Say hello if you see me. I wonder if I will get kicked out.

-2 ( +1 / -2 )

Within a month, you have accumulated enough besquels to even harm your body! How about in a year?

You mean, within your lifetime you won't have accumulated anything close to as many Bq as are frequently dosed out to people in medical treatments.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

BANANAS HAVE 130bq/KG

Still I would eat that rice. most of you smoke, drink alcohol, eat Sodas, etc. and are fearing 100bq/kg in rice. Then you add Water and it turns to 40bq/kg. 12 times less than safe limit.

Come on. We're avoiding things to get safely to death someday.

-5 ( +1 / -5 )

JaneM,

Good point. But I will still avoid buying it, because I do not have enough trust in those who are testing it.

And I worry about who is buying it: Restaurant owners? School cafeterias?

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Zichi, why stop there? I recommend you avoid all food with any measurable level of any radiation.

-7 ( +2 / -7 )

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