Reuters reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) believes that “the detection of radiation in food after an earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was a more serious problem than it had first expected,” and that “cases of contaminated vegetables, dust, milk and water are already stoking regional anxieties despite Japanese officials' assurances the levels are not dangerous.”
A WHO spokesman tells Reuters that while there is no evidence that contaminated product is being exported, “it's safe to suppose that some contaminated produce got out of the contamination zone.”
A WHO spokesman tells Reuters that while there is no evidence that contaminated product is being exported, “it's safe to suppose that some contaminated produce got out of the contamination zone.”
- KC's View:
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Maybe “safe” is not exactly the right word, in this case.
As was pointed out to me yesterday by an MNB user, part of the problem we are going to face is that our inspection services are stretched thin as it is, and having to examine more food looking for possible contaminated product from Japan will make their jobs even harder.
And you have to believe that the potential for some level of consumer panic is high - especially here in the US, where the mere use of the words “irradiated food” is enough to get some people almost apoplectic with concern; imagine if they have to worry about food that may be contaminated with nuclear radiation.
BTW...maybe this is the wrong time to mention this, but is this the point where Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) starts to look like a much better idea?
