Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami Trigger Food-Supply Cautions

Hong Kong banned a variety of Japanese food imports after discovering radioactive material on three samples of vegetables up to 10 times more than the level that is considered safe. Hong Kong’s ban applies to dairy, fruit, vegetables, and meat from five prefectures near Fukushima 1. Poultry and seafood must be given safety clearance by Japanese authorities before it can be imported into Hong Kong.

Hong Kong authorities have also detected radioactive material in produce imported from China’s Guangdong province but said the levels were well within the safe range and could be mitigated further by repeated washing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposed similar restrictions on the import of Japanese foods, particularly those from Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures. As of April 19, the FDA had conducted 3,522 field examinations for radionuclide contamination and had tested 89 samples. The agency found no iodine-131, cesium-134, cesium-137, or other gamma-ray emitting radionuclides.

Because of concerns about radionuclides appearing in food produced within Japan, economist Matthew Circosta of Moody’s Analytics Australia Pty Ltd. predicts that countries exporting food to Japan will benefit.

“Food products accounted for only ¥344 billion of foreign sales in 2010, just 0.5% of total exports,” Circosta said. “Food and meat products account for about 8% of Japan’s total imports, and over 45% of these supplies are shipped from the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese, Australian, and New Zealand exporters are set to receive the largest boost.”

Circosta reported that disaster-stricken prefectures Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki produce meat, seafood, vegetables, and rice. There will most likely be an increase of seafood imports. “Media reports from China and Vietnam suggest seafood exporters have been inundated with orders from Japanese customers in recent days,” Circosta wrote. “Large meat suppliers Australia and New Zealand should receive a strong boost since Japan is the world’s largest importer for pork and the second-largest importer of beef.”

The impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the world food supply is likely to be negligible, experts said, both because Japan’s exports are negligible and because the plume of radioactive materials is not large enough to cause significant contamination of other food-producing regions. The disaster will, however, have potentially long-lasting effects on Japan’s domestic food supply, with many consumers choosing to avoid even those Japanese products that are deemed safe for the market by the government.