The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday questioned the government’s decision to lift a ban on most food imports from Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture and surrounding areas, implemented over concerns of contamination following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster.
The government should adopt standards that are stricter than required by international bodies and be open to suggestions, NPP Chairwoman and legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said.
Taipei should observe procedural justice when implementing policy, consult with the public and adopt strict standards on residual radiation, she added.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chen said that current inspections only look for residual strontium and iodine, although known radioactive materials include strontium-90, which can be absorbed into bones when ingested and lead to bone-related diseases.
The government did not say in its announcement on Tuesday what standards it plans to impose regarding acceptable residual radiation and radioactive materials, Chen said.
It has also not addressed whether irradiated wastewater discharged by the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant could affect the Taiwanese fishing industry, she added.
NPP Director-General Pai Ching-fen (白卿芬) said that South Korea continues to restrict imports from eight Japanese prefectures, and called for imports from these areas to be accompanied by papers showing that they have been found clear of 17 types of radioactive material, including plutonium and strontium.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that out of 180,000 shipments from Fukushima since 2011, the most radiation found was detected in minute amounts in 236 products, all within Taiwanese standards.
All 2,077 Japanese radiation reports the ministry has issued since 2011 are publicly accessible on its Web site, it said.
All products restricted by Japanese authorities are not imported, it said.
Dairy products and seafood products are to undergo residual radiation scans before they can be imported to Taiwan, it said.
Food safety standards take children and pregnant women into consideration, it said.
The ministry has consulted international standards and is confident that the materials it would inspect for — including strontium-134, strontium-137 and iodine-131 — would be sufficient to safeguard food safety, it added.
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