March 25, 2011

Singapore suspends Japanese food imports

Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has suspended all imports of milk and milk products, fruits and vegetables, seafood and meat from Japan's Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures, with immediate effect.

This is a precautionary measure given the recent developments in Japan.

The AVA said it had made this move after receiving information that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) had detected high radioactivity levels in raw milk and vegetable produce from the four prefectures. The MHLW revealed it had found radioactivity dangerously above permissible limits under the country's food sanitation law in 11 vegetable types grown near the malfunctioning Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The ministry added that if 100g of such affected vegetables were to be consumed for about 10 days, and individual would ingest 50% of the radiation that is typically received from natural surroundings in a calendar year.

The AVA said the suspension complies with the precautionary approach adopted by countries such as the US and Australia. It added it would continually monitor and test imports of food produce from Japan.