Will Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge Affect the Home Shopping Industry? "All-Out Efforts to Strengthen Safety"

Signing of Business Agreement and Acquisition of Radiation Measuring Instruments

As the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company begin discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean on the 24th, the domestic home shopping industry is making every effort to strengthen the safety of seafood products. They plan to do their utmost to alleviate consumer anxiety by signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with specialized institutions and equipping their own seafood radiation detectors.

According to Lotte Home Shopping on the 24th, Lotte Home Shopping currently conducts quality inspections on products being sold and plans to additionally request radiation inspections from specialized institutions in the future. All products sold on Lotte Home Shopping currently undergo quality inspections through partnered specialized institutions before broadcasting, but the procedure will be expanded to include radiation inspections as well. A Lotte Home Shopping official said, "The seafood currently being sold has been retailed, processed, and stored at least three months ago, so there is no immediate impact from the contaminated water, but considering consumers' anxiety, we made this decision. We will do our best to ensure consumers can trust and consume our products."

Merchants at Seoul Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market are waiting for customers amid the decision to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan.
[Photo by Jo Yongjun]

Hyundai Home Shopping has also strengthened its existing safety inspections to alleviate consumer concerns. Hyundai Home Shopping currently conducts primary food safety inspections through the Radiation Analysis Center operated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and plans to add 'sample investigations' before sales using its own seafood radiation detectors. Hyundai Home Shopping decided to acquire high-performance radiation detectors immediately after the contaminated water discharge decision.

The most proactive response to the contaminated water discharge came from NS Home Shopping. On the 25th of last month, NS Home Shopping signed a memorandum of understanding with RM Tech, a company specializing in radiation measurement equipment and radiation disaster prevention systems, to strengthen the safety of seafood products. According to the agreement, NS Home Shopping will conduct regular monthly radiation inspections on products being sold and will track long-term results after radiation inspections, providing the same services to small and medium-sized NS partner companies.

Experts point out that since the issue ultimately requires alleviating the final consumers' anxiety, not only industry efforts but also active government responses are necessary. Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "Consumer anxiety is likely to continue for a month or two, and the situation may vary depending on how the government alleviates consumer anxiety during this period. The government should consider support measures such as providing portable radiation detectors and periodic water area sampling."

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