No contaminated food samples found from Japan, says SFA in response to recent Wall Street Journal podcast

While the podcast was posted on The Wall Street Journal's website on Aug 24, it referenced Mar 25, 2011, which was two weeks after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Aug 25, 2023. (File Photo: Reuters/Tom Bateman)

SINGAPORE: Singapore has not found contaminated food samples from Japan following the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Sunday (Sep 3).

The clarification was in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) podcast titled More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food.

The podcast, which was posted on Aug 24, said "Singapore has found radioactive contamination in vegetable samples from Japan". 

"The WSJ podcast has referred to a media release by the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore in 2011," said SFA. "This has since been overtaken by events."

While the podcast was posted on WSJ's website on Aug 24, it referenced Mar 25, 2011, which was two weeks after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.  

SFA added on Sunday it has not found samples of contaminated vegetables from Japan or banned food products from any Japanese prefectures recently.

The agency also reiterated that it adopts a science-based approach towards assessing food safety risks.

"Food imported into Singapore is subjected to SFA’s surveillance and monitoring regime, which includes radiation surveillance and enforcement actions will be taken should any food imports be found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption." 

In response to questions about food safety following Japan's decision to release Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Aug 3 that SFA has been closely monitoring food imports, including those from Japan. 

"The National Environment Agency (NEA) assesses that Japan's planned discharge of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea is unlikely to impact the seawater in or around Singapore waters," she added. 

"The radioactivity measured continues to remain within our natural background levels."

On Aug 24, Japanese authorities began discharging into the sea treated water used to cool the damaged reactors.

Japan's fisheries agency found that fish tested in waters around the Fukushima nuclear plant did not contain detectable levels of radiation, two days after the waters were released.

However, China has banned all Japanese seafood imports in the wake of the release, while Hong Kong has since curbed "aquatic products" from 10 Japanese prefectures.

South Korea also saw protests involving about 50,000 people demanding that the country's government take action. In a separate incident, arrests were made after protestors entered a building housing the Japanese embassy in Seoul.

Source: Channel News Asia (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/contaminated-food-fukushima-nuclear-water-wall-street-journal-podcast-3743751)