AVA monitors food imports from Japan for potential radiation

Following the recent earthquake in Japan and concerns of possible radiation leakage from affected nuclear plants, AVA has increased its surveillance of food imports from Japan to ensure that they are safe for consumption.

Food products from Japan that were exported before 11 Mar 2011 are safe for consumption as they would not have been exposed to any radioactive contamination. These include products that are currently in the market and those which had arrived in Singapore over the last few days.

As a precautionary measure, samples of fresh produce exported from Japan after 11 Mar 2011, such as seafood, fruits, vegetables and meat, are being tested for radioactive contaminants with immediate effect.

The impact of the earthquake on Singapore’s food supply is minimal. In 2010, seafood imported from Japan constitutes less than 2% of its total seafood imports by quantity. The import of other food products from Japan is negligible (less than 0.5%).

AVA will work closely with its counterparts in Japan and continue to keep a close watch on food imports from Japan.