MFDS Provides Guidance on Japanese Seafood Inspection System: "No Import Allowed if Even Trace Radiation Detected"

On the 21st, Kwon Oh-sang, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, "Since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, to protect the health and safety of the public, we have completely banned the import of all seafood produced in eight prefectures surrounding the nuclear plant since September 2013," adding, "For seafood from regions other than these eight prefectures, radiation tests are conducted for each import case."

Fukushima nuclear power plant storage tank. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Director Kwon made these remarks during a daily briefing on the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima and explained the inspection system for Japanese seafood imports. Currently, the inspection process for Japanese seafood follows the order of document inspection → on-site inspection → detailed inspection.

First, at the document stage, the importer fills out an import declaration form and submits it to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Inspectors review a total of 152 items to verify whether the declaration and supporting documents are appropriate. They check if the seafood was produced in any of the eight banned prefectures (Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Chiba), or if from other regions, where exactly it was produced. They also verify whether information such as species, fishing area, processing and packaging location, manufacturer, and shipping port matches the certificates.

The on-site inspection stage involves Ministry of Food and Drug Safety inspectors visiting seafood storage warehouses to directly check the condition. Considering regional characteristics, they re-verify on-site whether the production location of the imported seafood matches the declared information. Samples are collected according to the random sampling method recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX) to inspect appearance, color, vitality, and the presence of mixed similar seafood.

If no abnormalities are found during the on-site inspection, the collected samples are sealed and sent to the laboratory for detailed inspection. The detailed inspection uses a high-purity germanium detector. The samples are evenly ground and measured for radioactive substances for 2 hours and 47 minutes (10,000 seconds). If no radiation is detected, the seafood can be distributed domestically; if the standard is exceeded, the product is returned or discarded, and if trace amounts are detected, additional certificates are required.

Deputy Director Kwon explained, "Even if trace amounts (0.5 Bq/kg) below the standard level (Cesium 100 Bq/kg) are detected in the analysis results, 17 additional radionuclide certificates recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission are required, so in reality, such products are not imported into the country."

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