Milk import halted last year following foot-and-mouth outbreak
KUALA LUMPUR: Radiation has been detected in the milk and spinach produced in two prefectures of Japan located near an ailing nuclear power plant but Japan has ordered a ban on the exports of the two products, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said yesterday.
He also said that Malaysia did not import the two products, which come from the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures, based on information from the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM) under the Health Ministry.
At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Japanese government were continuing discussions on the control measures, he said in a statement on the ministry’s websitee at www.mosti.gov.my.
Ongkili said that according to the Veterinary Services Department, Malaysia had stopped importing milk from Japan since last year following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Japan.
“As a precautionary measure, the Health Ministry has imposed the Level Five inspection of hold, test and release on food products such as fruits, vegetables, fish and meat products imported from Japan,” he said.
Samples were taken from every consignment of food from Japan for analysis to determine radioactivity at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, he said.
“So far, about 16 (food) samples have been analysed and all were found to adhere to the permissible levels of radioactivity,” he said, and advised consumers not to be overly concerned about food in the market. — Bernama