Foodlaw-Reading

Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK

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Food Law News - EU - 2023

Commission Press Release, 13 July 2023 (with update 14 July 2023)

CONTAMINANTS - EU-Japan Summit: Commission lifts the Fukushima restrictions on food imports

Today, at the EU-Japan Summit, President von der Leyen announced that the Commission is lifting the import restrictions for food following the nuclear accident at Fukushima. The lifting of the measures stems from positive results from controls done on the products by the Japanese authorities and the Member States.

Shortly after the accident, the EU took the necessary measures to protect human health against possible radioactive contamination from food and feed imported from Japan and imposed thorough pre-export testing of food products for radioactivity.

Since the adoption of these restrictions in 2011, the measures have been reviewed by the Commission every second year and have been progressively eased as risks declined. The last review took place in September 2021 and limited the pre-export testing restrictions to wild mushrooms, some fish species and wild edible plants.

A strict maximum level of 100 Bq/kg has been in place in the EU for food from Japan since June 2011. This maximum has always been fully respected, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Japanese control and monitoring systems.

Now that the restrictions have been fully lifted, it is however important that the Japanese government continues to monitor domestic production for radioactivity. This includes in particular fish, fishery products and seaweed close to the release site of the ALPS treated water. They should be monitored for the presence of radionuclides, including tritium. It is also important that the Japanese government makes all the results publicly available.

Background

The Member States endorsed the Regulation lifting the restrictions, which was adopted today by the Commission.

Quote(s)

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety - 12/07/2023:

"We have one of the world’s highest food safety standards in the world in the EU, upholding them is the key priority of our work. This is why, following the diligent work of the Japanese authorities and the close collaboration with our experts over the past years, we are now in the position to lift the import restrictions for food from Fukushima. The favorable control results of the recent years demonstrate the strong commitment and cooperation of our Japanese partners, and I am very grateful to everyone who has made this possible."

For the adopted Regulation, see:

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