Regarding Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge... Large Marts "Strengthen Response Measures and Increase Inspection Levels"

Strengthening Seafood Inspections by Response Stage
Emphasizing Offshore Products and Existing Stockpiles
Focusing on Alleviating Consumer Anxiety

The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) will begin discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean on the 24th. Domestic large-scale supermarkets handling seafood have responded by announcing strengthened seafood inspections according to response stages, emphasizing that products from distant seas or existing stockpiles are unaffected.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Large supermarkets have emphasized that since early this year, they have been responding by establishing a 'Radiation Safety Management System' aimed at strengthening radiation safety management for seafood. Emart conducts a first round of radiation measurement using a simple radiation device at the logistics center for seafood products, followed by an additional precise radiation inspection the next day at Emart's Product Safety Center. Emart is currently responding at the normal stage among the four stages of normal, caution, alert, and serious, but is considering raising the response level. Emart stated, "Since June, we have increased the number of inspections and are conducting up to 50% sample precision inspections, but we are also considering raising the stage. At the caution stage, up to 75% sampling inspections of target fish species will be conducted, and at the alert stage, up to 100% sampling inspections of target fish species will be conducted."

Lotte Mart has also established and implemented a seafood safety inspection system at every stage from production areas to store arrival since February. Currently, Lotte Safety Center has expanded seafood safety inspections from once quarterly on samples from major ports to four times a week, and plans to further increase inspection frequency after the discharge begins.

Homeplus has not handled Japanese seafood since the Fukushima incident in 2011, and plans to secure and sell only products confirmed safe through supplier self-inspections for domestic seafood in case of contaminated water discharge. A Homeplus official said, "We have enforced strict quality control by requiring all suppliers of domestic seafood to submit product inspection certificates together, so customers can purchase seafood with confidence. We are closely monitoring the situation, strengthening seafood safety management processes, and will thoroughly ensure seafood safety according to future government policies and guidelines."

Ahead of the Chuseok holiday peak season, they have also strengthened management of seafood gift sets. Lotte Mart stated, "Seafood gift sets mainly consist of domestic frozen gulbi (dried yellow croaker), galchi (hairtail), and okdom (rosy seabass). All products are frozen stockpiled before the contaminated water issue, so raw materials are unaffected, but we plan to strengthen quality inspections by conducting radiation tests on all products just before set production." Nevertheless, anticipating a possible decline in demand for gift sets including domestic gulbi, galchi, okdom, and gim (seaweed), they introduced imported frozen shrimp gift sets and enhanced premium myeongran (pollock roe) and large-sized jerky gift sets.

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