Brussels, 17/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Purely on the grounds of the precautionary principle, EU member states have been asked to monitor radioactivity levels in food imports from Japan. This is one of the consequences of the threat of a major nuclear disaster if the situation at the Fukushima power plant cannot be brought under control.
On Tuesday 15 March, the European Commission made this recommendation through the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) which, in the event of a detected risk, allows the Commission to be in instant communication with the member states and member states to be in communication with one another. If competent national authorities detect higher than authorised radioactive levels in food, they are required to inform their partners throughout the EU.
Though there is no indication at this stage of any threat to health in an area as far from Japan as Europe, the import of potentially contaminated foodstuffs is source of possible danger. “On 15 March, member states were called on to step up their monitoring. This is a precautionary measure for goods from Japan”, said Frédéric Vincent, spokesman for Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner John Dalli, on Thursday 17 March.
He put the scale of the risk into context, however, stating that the amount of foodstuffs from Japan is minimal: “In 2010, the value of foodstuffs imported by the EU from Japan was €65 million”. (A.N./transl.rt)