China Expands Ban on Imported Food from Japan

China Expands Ban on Imported Food from Japan

Beijing — The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSI) issued a statement on Friday stating that starting April 8, China will ban food imports from 12 regions of Japan, instead of the five areas listed on March 24th.

Growing fears of radiation contamination to foodstuffs and edible farm produce have prompted the Chinese government to increase its scale of areas they have blacklisted. The extended list of blacklisted regions comes on the heels of China’s growing concern over Japan’s move to discharge radioactive water from the ruptured Fukushima power plant into the Pacific ocean.

China Expands Ban on Imported Food from Japan

Chinese quality inspection and quarantine organizations were mandated to carry out radioactive tests over imported food, edible farm produce and fodders from Japan. Those that do not pass quality inspection will be quarantined and the area of origin will be banned from importing goods to the country. Documentation is also required on all ingestible goods coming into the country. Documents must include certificates for radioactivity-free inspection and places of origin.

Customhouses across China will inspect all imported goods for quality inspection and documentation. Any item that fails to pass the regulatory inspection or carry the necessary documents will be turned away and the place of origin will be added to the already expanding list of regions that have been blacklisted.

The AQSI also demanded that importers of Japanese food products establish a tracking system for imports and marketing. All food items entering the country from Japan should carry:

• Name of the food
• Date of manufacture
• Shelf Life
• Buyers’ and exporters’ information for further contact.

All aquatic products must provide the information above, the certification that the product comes from a radiation-free area, information on place of origin and route of transportation.

China Expands Ban on Imported Food from Japan