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Greenpeace Japan ranks major supermarkets on seafood radiation
JAPAN
Friday, November 25, 2011, 15:30 (GMT + 9)
In the past few months Greenpeace Japan has been monitoring the radioactive contamination of land and sea that resulted from the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in March this year.
Between 12 October and 8 November the team, led by Greenpeace Japan Oceans Campaigner Wakao Hanaoka, took seafood samples from five supermarket chains - Aeon, Ito Yokado, Uny (Apita), Daiei and Seiyu -, taking 15 samples from each.
Of the 75 samples, radioactive cesium 134 and 137 were detected in 27 samples.
The samples that stood out were from Pacific cod. In total, seven cod caught in Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi, were sampled and five were found to be contaminated.
The Pacific cod wasn’t the only contaminated fish found. Cesium 134 and 137 were detected in all five samples of bigeye tuna the team took and in all five samples of skipjack tuna.
Wakao and the team also analysed one sample of canned mackerel. Although the level of contamination was not very high, there is no detailed information about the fish’s origin such as where it was caught and what type of mackerel it is.
The label on the can simply says “made in Japan”.
According Greenpeace Japan, government’s labelling regulation for canned fish and processed fish products is far less stringent than for fresh fish products and needs to be addressed immediately.
Following questionnaires sent to the five supermarket chains between September and November 2011, a ranking guide was released showing how well each company has been responding to radioactive contamination of seafood, how they bought seafood, how their seafood was screened, how strong their standards were compared to the Government standard of 500bq/kg, and how clearly the information to consumers was displayed.
The results of the survey (points out of 100) showed that AEON leads the ranking with 82 points thanks to its “radiation-free” food policy announced on 8 November, with Ito Yokado taking the second place with 68 points given its labelling system announced on 21 November , followed by Daiei 54 points, Uny (Apita) 46 points, and Seiyu 32 points.
Related articles:
- Researchers focus on radiation's effects on marine life
- Iwate Prefecture faces sluggish recovery
- Govt must release more data on radiation in seafood: oceanographic group
- More rough seas ahead for Japanese fishers
- Seafood firms in Ibaraki demand USD 23 mln from TEPCO
- Radioactive caesium found in whales
- Greenpeace slams Japan for inadequate handling of radiation woes
[email protected]
www.fis.com
JAPAN
Friday, November 25, 2011, 15:30 (GMT + 9)
In the past few months Greenpeace Japan has been monitoring the radioactive contamination of land and sea that resulted from the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in March this year.
Between 12 October and 8 November the team, led by Greenpeace Japan Oceans Campaigner Wakao Hanaoka, took seafood samples from five supermarket chains - Aeon, Ito Yokado, Uny (Apita), Daiei and Seiyu -, taking 15 samples from each.
Of the 75 samples, radioactive cesium 134 and 137 were detected in 27 samples.
The samples that stood out were from Pacific cod. In total, seven cod caught in Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi, were sampled and five were found to be contaminated.
The Pacific cod wasn’t the only contaminated fish found. Cesium 134 and 137 were detected in all five samples of bigeye tuna the team took and in all five samples of skipjack tuna.
Wakao and the team also analysed one sample of canned mackerel. Although the level of contamination was not very high, there is no detailed information about the fish’s origin such as where it was caught and what type of mackerel it is.
The label on the can simply says “made in Japan”.
According Greenpeace Japan, government’s labelling regulation for canned fish and processed fish products is far less stringent than for fresh fish products and needs to be addressed immediately.
Following questionnaires sent to the five supermarket chains between September and November 2011, a ranking guide was released showing how well each company has been responding to radioactive contamination of seafood, how they bought seafood, how their seafood was screened, how strong their standards were compared to the Government standard of 500bq/kg, and how clearly the information to consumers was displayed.
The results of the survey (points out of 100) showed that AEON leads the ranking with 82 points thanks to its “radiation-free” food policy announced on 8 November, with Ito Yokado taking the second place with 68 points given its labelling system announced on 21 November , followed by Daiei 54 points, Uny (Apita) 46 points, and Seiyu 32 points.
Related articles:
- Researchers focus on radiation's effects on marine life
- Iwate Prefecture faces sluggish recovery
- Govt must release more data on radiation in seafood: oceanographic group
- More rough seas ahead for Japanese fishers
- Seafood firms in Ibaraki demand USD 23 mln from TEPCO
- Radioactive caesium found in whales
- Greenpeace slams Japan for inadequate handling of radiation woes
[email protected]
www.fis.com