"Now Even Salt Is Called Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water?"... Salt Hoarding Runs Out

Some supermarket salt shelves empty
Prices up 30% in two months
Japan Tokyo Electric Power starts 2-week discharge trial run

As Japan has begun trial operations for the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, consumer anxiety about seafood is growing. It has been reported that some supermarkets are even experiencing a 'stockpiling' phenomenon of sea products such as 천일염 (cheonil salt).

On the 7th, interest in sea salt surged following Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from its nuclear power plant, leading to panic buying. Salt is being sold at a large supermarket in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to Yonhap News on the 14th, the salt shelves at a large supermarket in Daejeon were mostly sold out, except for flower salt and seasoned salt products. This was because consumers bought salt products in advance.

Consumers' anxiety can also be easily found online. On mom cafes and social networking services (SNS), posts such as "I stocked up on salt just in case," "Salt is used in food for children, so shouldn't we be as careful as possible?" and "When I went to the supermarket, they said all the salt was already gone. I feel depressed about where to get it" have been posted.

The sudden surge in salt demand, combined with frequent rain since April disrupting domestic salt production, has caused salt prices to soar. Shinan 천일염 (cheonil salt) (20kg), which traded at an average of 13,740 won in April, rose by nearly 30% to 17,807 won in early this month, about two months later.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began trial operations on the 12th (local time) to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean. TEPCO plans to test for two weeks to check for any issues with key facilities ahead of the scheduled discharge this summer.

The process of manufacturing sea salt

The contaminated water is purified through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and is currently stored in about 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima nuclear plant. It will be diluted with seawater at an appropriate ratio before discharge.

The Japanese government plans to proceed with the discharge if no significant issues arise after receiving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s final report this month.

However, controversy has erupted locally in Japan over this issue. Fishermen near Fukushima Prefecture continue to protest against the government's discharge plan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.