Food gets all-clear as ban starts

Food gets all-clear as ban starts Diana Lee and Samson Lee  Friday, March 25, 2011 Twenty-nine batches of imported Japanese food have been found to be clear of radiation contamination. Authorities banned food from five prefectures close to the stricken Fukushima nuclear power station on Wednesday. The cleared batches comprised seven brought in by sea and 22 by air. The ban was gazetted yesterday on dairy products, infant formula, vegetables and fruit produced in Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures. The authorities dismissed the idea of a ban on all Japanese food and said it will only do so if there are reasonable grounds that these products are contaminated. ADVERTISEMENT Undersecretary for Food and Health Gabriel Leung said Hong Kong is maintaining a "double protection" system by inspecting all types of food imported from Japan. Other goods from the five affected prefectures have to obtain Japanese government health certificates before they are allowed in to the SAR. Leung said radiation checks on all imported Japanese goods were started on March 12. "We would not hesitate to adjust, vary or extend the ban order should new evidence suggest there are higher risk categories both in terms of food types or geography," Leung said. Three samples found contaminated were intercepted in port and were never on sale. Leung said the government will not remove the ban before a WHO expert group completes a comprehensive risk assessment conference. A Japanese consumer, Yuko Yoshicla, said: "I believe the Japanese food is safe. And I still eat Japanese food because I do not think the quality of Chinese food such as vegetables is good enough." Another shopper, Rika Hashimoto, said: "I have been eating Hong Kong organic food and Japanese food. Both of them are good. I would not reduce my consumption." Joanne Ko Ho-yan said: "I trust the Hong Kong government that the food on the market is safe. In addition, Japanese food has become an indispensable part of many Hong Kong people's lives. I cannot live without it."