Taiwan's Department of Health has banned the import of all food products from Japan's Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures effective March 25 for fear of radiation of contamination.
DOH Minister Chiu Wen-ta said all foodstuffs from these regions, regardless of their manufacturing dates, are forbidden to enter Taiwan. “The order will remain in force until further notice,” he said, adding that products from other parts of Japan will continue being tested as per existing regulations.
The DOH move came as Japan’s Fukushima nuclear crisis continued to unfold. Australia, Canada and the United States have also adopted similar measures in recent days, Chiu pointed out.
In related news, the Atomic Energy Council and the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection said they have not found any radiation contamination in checks of 506 food products and 46 batches of general merchandise and component parts from Japan.
The Water Resources Agency also said radiation readings of samples taken from Taiwan’s major reservoirs all remained within the normal range.
As of March 27, screening at Taiwan’s international airports had detected 40 individuals with radiation on their skin or clothing exceeding normal levels. No cases of abnormal readings have been reported in the last five days, the AEC said. (THN)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw