Recent Lifting of Restrictions on Food Imports from Fukushima

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the considerations behind the recent lifting of restrictions on food imports from Fukushima; and (b) what measures are taken to ensure that the food hygiene and safety aspects of products imported from this region are upheld.

Food hygiene and food safety are the key considerations in our policies governing food imports. Our objective is to ensure that food is safe for Singaporeans to eat. We will never compromise on this objective.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant incident, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) implemented a series of import control measures and surveillance testing on Japanese food imports. Since January 2013, AVA has not detected any radioactive contamination in its testing of samples of Japanese imported food. AVA's test results have been corroborated by tests conducted by Japan. There are also no recent reports by other countries of any significant radioactive contamination in their Japanese food imports.

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In March 2014, AVA conducted an on-site inspection in Japan to review its food safety system. AVA is satisfied that Japan has implemented measures to mitigate the risk of radioactive contamination in food products. Examples include the extensive inspection and testing system for food before distribution to consumers or for export, and decontaminating the soil in agriculture land. Based on its inspections of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima conducted in 2013, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is of the view that the food supply chain in Japan is safely under control.

Hence, AVA decided to ease some of its restrictions on imports from Japan. However, some restrictions will remain. First, we will continue to ban imports of seafood and forest products from Fukushima. Second, we will also continue to ban food products from the highly contaminated areas, including the 20-km radius zone around the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Third, all Japanese food imports will continue to be subjected to these AVA's measures:

(a) All food consignments must be accompanied by a certificate of origin (COO) to show the prefecture of origin of the food;

(b) Prefectures close to Fukushima (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and so on) have to show evidence from its surveillance that the products are free from radioactive contaminants; and

(c) Fukushima prefecture has to show evidence from surveillance testing that the production areas of food for export to Singapore are free from radioactive contaminants.

AVA will continue to closely monitor food imports from Japan and carry out surveillance testing to ensure that they comply with our food safety requirements.