Food And Drug Administration Ensures Safety Of Imported Seafood From Japan Despite Fukushima Concerns

25-9-2023 (BANGKOK) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Thailand has confirmed that extensive tests on seafood imported from Japan demonstrate that no traces of radioactivity surpass international standards, ensuring consumers that the food remains safe to consume. This announcement was made against the backdrop of international concerns related to the discharge of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Deputy secretary-general of the FDA, Lertchai Lertvut, affirmed that rigorous safety measures have been put in place for seafood imports from Japan following the initiation of the treated radioactive water release on August 24, 12 years after the nuclear meltdown.

Quantitative analyses were conducted on 75 samples of “at-risk” seafood, including squid, molluscs, and crabs. The analyses, performed by the Office of Atoms for Peace under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, found that 42 out of the 73 samples revealed no radioactive traces exceeding international standards. Tests on the remaining 33 samples are still in progress.

Mr. Lertchai assured that if any samples were discovered to be contaminated with radioactivity, the imported seafood would be destroyed, and its importation would be halted. Consumers were urged to trust that the FDA has taken all the necessary measures to guarantee that imported seafood is free from radioactive contamination.