Fukushima Rice Is OK

Careful testing of rice harvested in all parts of Fukushima prefecture shows that none of the rice on sale has radioactive materials at unsafe levels. Of course rice from the most heavily contaminated areas near the nuclear reactors (11 areas) will not be for sale. Where there are high levels, the rice will not be sold even though the levels are below the safe limit of 500 Bq/kg. "I will take the initiative in marketing by stressing the safety and good taste" of rice harvested in the prefecture, Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato said after the announcement, according to The Japan Times/Kyodo: Fukushima declares rice is safe.

You can check the testing results over at the Ministry of Health (MHWL). These daily reports are very valuable in terms of reassuring the public. However, a lot of people are probably still very worried about the nuclear contamination.

In Sweden, and in most of Europe (especially Germany and Austria) we had similar concerns after the 1987 Chernobyl accident. Japan has been quite fortunate that the immediate food contamination back then, which was almost exclusively related to cow milk and wild animals (such as reindeers) did not apply here.

Green tea, on the other hand, come from leaves that grow on bushes that may have been exposed in March. It is a unique Japanese product that needs special attention. Even in my city, Hanno in Saitama, some of the green tea has been slightly affected according to data released today. But not at levels that should make anyone particularly worried.

Slightly eleveated levels of Cesium can still be found in certain products like mushrooms or fish caught in rivers in Fukushima, but the rest of the food supply and farmed food supply and its products can be regarded as safe, as I predicted back in July.

We have been very, very lucky.