April 2, 2011

Russia eyes partial ban on Japanese seafood

Russia might ban seafood produced from areas near Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant over fears of radiation contamination, the Russian food safety body, Rosselkhoznadzor, said on April 1.

Russia is studying the situation at 300 Japanese fish processing plants in the danger zone and is likely to restrict imports from more than 200 of them soon, Rosselkhoznadzor chief Sergei Dankvert said.

Russia imported 57,000 tonnes of seafood from Japan last year, Dankvert said.

Food makes up 1% of Japanese exports, according to World Bank data. Japan has stopped shipments of vegetables and milk from areas near the crippled Fukushima reactors in the country's northeast.