Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-08-07

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled new measures to strengthen inspection of Japanese food imports.

The FDA said on Monday that it is planning to purchase sodium iodide detectors to inspect the pesticides and animal drugs used in Japanese food imports, including agricultural produce and seafood.

The detector is able to conduct a preliminary inspection of whether the imports contain artificial nuclides such as sodium-131, caesium-134 and caesium-137. If artificial nuclides are found, the samples will be transferred to the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research for closer inspection.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the government has imposed a ban on food imports from Fukushima and four neighboring prefectures. The FDA said the ban is still in place and the government’s stance on ensuring food safety remains unchanged.    [FULL  STORY]