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FDA steps up controls on food imported from Japan

BANGKOK, March 24 - Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered random checks on all food items and asked importers to put on hold sales of all their food products until after radiation tests are known, said Pipat Yingseri, FDA secretary-general on Thursday.

The FDA stepped up measures to screen food from Japan in the wake of reported radiation leaks by asking importers to be alert and slow down importing food from the Japanese island of Honshu, particularly vegetables and fruit, he said.

The agency will collect all kinds of food samples to assess for radioactive contamination and check them more frequently. Importers were asked to suspend goods distribution and sales until the test results will be known and approved by the FDA. So far, the tests on strawberries, sweet potatoes and dried persimmons have found no radioactive contamination.

The random checks on seafood have been increased as the origins of some seafood are unknown.

However, the FDA confirmed that fish in Japanese restaurants is safe for consumption as the samples have passed the test. It also ordered immigration checkpoints to check food hand carried by passengers. The same surveillance measures are also put in place for imported goods by ship.

There has been no ban on Japanese food as there is a slight amount of imported food from Japan. Most vegetables are grown in Thailand and Japan has already limited its surveillance zones. The FDA’s measure is adequate to handle the current situation, Mr Pipat said.

If the situation is worse, the measure will be heightened. In the next 2-4 weeks, sweets and dairy products will be arrived and tested as the materials used to produce the food may be affected by radiation. However, Thailand does not import milk from Japan, he added.

He also said the Office of Atoms for Peace is concentrating on increased random checks of food items from Japan. However, it will look for more units to work on that as the measure will be in place for at least two months after the radiation situation in Japan will be under control. (MCOT online news)

Credit: MCOT (www.mcot.net)