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New survey finds radiation in Tokyo food supply
A farmer checks his crops for radiation in Fukushima Prefecture.International environmental activist group Greenpeace has released the results of its own study showing low levels of radiation in food being sold in eastern Japan, including Tokyo.
The news will do little to reassure the slowly recovering tourist industry and will likely only increase the pressure on food suppliers and the authorities to be more transparent about testing post-March 11.
Below government limit
Greenpeace says it tested seafood from five major supermarket chains after picking up samples from 60 different stores.
Its results showed 34 samples containing cesium at up to 88 becquerels per kilo -- radioactive, but still below the government-approved safety limit.
“While the samples are well below the 500 becquerels per kilo limit set by the authorities, the contaminated seafood still represents a health risk -- especially to pregnant women and children, and it is being distributed over a wide area,” said Wakao Hanaoka of Greenpeace Japan.
Fears persist
Greenpeace is contacting the Japan Chain Stores Association asking that it force its members to let shoppers know precisely how much radioactive material is in the food they sell.
As has been the case since the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, however, both incoming visitors and local residents are conducting their own checks using handheld Geiger counters.
More on CNNGo: Who’s telling the truth on Fukushima?
Read more: New survey finds radiation in Tokyo food supply | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/greenpeace-survey-finds-radiation-tokyo-food-supply-330402#ixzz1bk5wnA93
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