New Straits Times

Thursday, 28/04/2011

3 certs to ensure food from Japan is safe

BANGI: To put the minds of people at ease about the safety of food imported from Japan where a nuclear power plant was damaged in an earthquake last month, the health minister and Japanese ambassador had lunch at a Japanese restaurant here yesterday.

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there was nothing to fear as both countries had put in place, strict but efficient systems to ensure public health.

"The cabinet has decided that effective today (yesterday), all food imported from Japan will be accompanied by documents verified by competent authorities in Japan."

He said three types of documents would be submitted along with each batch of goods before the food can be exported and received by Malaysian port authorities.

The documents are:

• Date of manufacture. Food that was harvested or packaged in Japan prior to March 11 when the earthquake and tsunami hit the nuclear facility in Fukushima, can enter Malaysia with minimal inspection.
• Certificate of origin. Food which originates from Japan outside of the 11 affected prefectures, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Niigata, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba, can enter with minimal inspections.
• Certificate of radioactivity for food which originates from the 11 affected prefectures. This document will verify that the food falls within acceptable levels of radioactivity and is safe for the public.

Liow and Masahiko Horie ate a variety of dishes in the restaurant.

Some of the ingredients in the dishes were imported from Japan. Horie, who leaves for home today after completing his term as ambassador, said the situation in Japan was improving.

"Reconstruction has begun, and the radiation levels have dropped back to normal levels," he said.

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