《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Government to keep monitoring Japan food imports

/ Staff writer, with CNA

The government will continue to rigorously monitor food products imported from Japan to ensure public health amid concerns that Taiwan is considering lifting a ban on food imports from Japanese prefectures close to the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

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The ministry is today to present a report to a legislative committee on its on-site inspections of Japanese food imports.

An advance copy of the report said that food imports from the Japanese prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba were suspended on March 25, 2011, after the areas were suspected of being contaminated by radiation due to a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

Since May 15 last year, companies importing Japanese food products have been required to present certificates of origin to prove that the items do not come from any of the five prefectures, the report said.

Radiation inspection certificates are also required for imports such as tea, baby food and dairy and aquatic products, it added.

As of the end of last month, the inspections on all imported Japanese food products have met new standards, the report said.

A Taiwanese delegation comprised of health, foreign affairs, agricultural and atomic agency officials, along with nuclear medicine doctors and food safety experts, traveled to Japan in August to conduct on-site inspections.

The delegation visited central and local government agencies in charge of radiation monitoring programs, production sites for agricultural and fishery products, food processing plants, radiation monitoring facilities and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, as well as private organizations and doctors.

The ministry said that according to data provided by Japan, of 260,538 samples inspected last year, only 279, or 0.1 percent, were found to have excessive levels of radiation.

The delegation also checked Japanese supermarkets and found that food from the five prefectures were on sale there, the report said.

Media reports have said that since President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） assumed office in May, different Japanese groups have asked Taiwan to lift the ban on food products from the five prefectures.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES