March 24, 2011

Taiwan imposes stern scrutiny on Japan's seafood products

Taiwan is implementing a number of rigorous measures to prevent Japanese food contaminated by radiation from reaching its consumers, officials said Wednesday (Mar 23).

Fishery officials will board fishing boats to inspect catches and hauls, and many importers of Japanese food have voluntarily turned away seafood shipments from Japan.

Eight major categories of Japanese imports, namely dairy products, mineral water, formula milk, sea kelps, fresh fruits and vegetables, aquatic products, refrigerated goods, and frozen goods, will be inspected "batch by batch" as soon as they reach Taiwan's customs houses, said the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday, adding that Japanese imports already in the country will be subject to random checks,.

In response to the news that waters immediately adjacent to Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant have been contaminated by radiation leaks, the Council of Agriculture (COA) will work to track down Taiwanese fishing boats, using the industry's own positioning system, said Tsay Tzu-Yaw, deputy director-general of COA's Fisheries Agency, yesterday.

The government will deploy more boarding parties, fishing boats found to have operated in Japanese waters will be monitored, and catches found to exceed the radioactivity limit will be destroyed, said Tsay, adding that the industry's radio stations are advising Taiwan fishermen not to fish in Japanese waters temporarily.

The measure is designed to ensure the safety of seafood and the safety of Taiwan fishermen, he said.

According to fishery officials, about 100 fishing boats operate off the Japanese coast every year, especially during the Pacific saury season in mid- to late June.

All food items manufactured, processed and packaged in Japan on or after March 12 will have to be scanned for radioactivity, the DOH announced yesterday.