Russia bans food imports from Japan following nuclear incidents
2011-03-24 12:01:45
Russia has suspended food imports from six Japanese prefectures following a powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami that have triggered explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, spreading fears of massive radioactive contamination, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare said on Thursday.
"[The service] has considered information from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) of exceeding permissible level of iodine-131 and cesium in food and Japan's imposition of a ban on internal turnover of some food products and suspended turnover of food produced in prefectures of Gunma, Fukushima, Chiba, Ibaraki, Nagano and Tochigi after March 11, 2011, and their import to the Russian Federation," the service said.
The INFOSAN is a joint initiative between the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The U.S. has also banned imports of food from the prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.