Food safety: Commission reviews measures on imports from Japan

EU News 73/2014

20 February 2014

Experts meeting in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) endorsed a Commission proposal to revise rules on import conditions of food and feed originating from Japan following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Existing restrictions for food and feed imports coming from the prefecture Fukushima are maintained whereas control measures have been reviewed for several other prefectures.

Based on over 85,000 samples of products harvested in the third growing season after the nuclear accident, the restrictive measures in place have been lifted for 2 prefectures (Tokyo and Kanagawa) and have been eased for 7 other prefectures (Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Iwate and Chiba) . For 4 other prefectures (Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Niigata and Aomori), restrictive measures remain in place for mushrooms and for 3 other prefectures (Nagano and two newly included prefectures Akita and Yamagata) restrictive measures have been put in place for a few products (mushrooms and a few edible wild plants). For the control at import, a further reduction of the frequency of controls will apply.

Based on the monitoring results from the 2014 growing season, it is foreseen to undertake a review of these measures shortly before 31 March 2015.

The measures will be published at the end of March 2014 following the adoption of the proposal by the Commission and are foreseen to enter into force on 1 April 2014.

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