After a few challenging months, we are pleased to announce that we have finally started to receive goods from Japan post the earthquake on March 11th.
We appreciate the concerns among some of our customers regarding the radioactive safety of our Japanese foods. We want to address these concerns and assure you that we have full confidence in the safety of our products based on compliance with EU food safety legislation.
• Radioactivity testing prior to export from Japan:
All products from the 12 prefectures identified to be at risk of contamination by the radioactive isotopes of iodine and caesium due to radioactive fallout are tested prior to departing Japan. The current radiation limits are set in line with food safety guidelines from international agencies such as the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization.
• Container screening and random checks upon arrival in the EU:
In addition to the fact that all at-risk food products exported into the EU from Japan have to be tested prior to export, EU port authorities screen all containers upon arrival for surface contamination to ensure it is within a level indicating safe contents.
Moreover, since the products we import from Japan are cleared in the Netherlands, the Dutch authorities carry out random controls on imports as mandated by the EU food safety directives.
