Macau bans food product imports from 10 prefectures in Japan

The Macau government has officially banned food products from 10 prefectures of Japan.

The ban was officialized yesterday in a Chief Executive (CE) order published in the government’s official gazette.

The ban on the import of fresh food products comes after Japanese authorities announced water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant would soon be discharged into the ocean.

In a press statement, the Macau government was said to “strongly deplore” the discharge of radiation-contaminated waters.

To safeguard food safety and public health in Macau, the government will ban the import of live and fresh food products, food products of animal origin, sea salt and seaweed, including vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, aquatic products and their derivatives, meat and meat products and poultry eggs, among other products.

The ban affects products from 10 prefectures and regions, namely Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, Saitama and the Tokyo Metropolis, from Aug. 24.

“Japan’s decision to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean without ample consultation with its neighboring countries is extremely irresponsible,” the local government added, noting it is highly concerned.

The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has been ordered to keep close contact with the General Administration of Customs and Gongbei Customs District of the People’s Republic of China, and a notification mechanism has also been established with Hong Kong’s Centre of Food Safety.

As for the other prefectures and regions of Japan, the IAM said it will reinforce its surveillance of all food imports arriving in Macau, namely on its testing for radioactive substances, the Head of the Division of Food Inspection of IAM, Sou Hoi Chi, said yesterday during a media tour to the import inspection area of the Macau International Airport.

IAM began testing all imported Japanese food products at the beginning of this year.

Now, IAM claims testing for specific radionuclides has been added as a routine food safety test item as well as sampling from the different batches of products tested in the IAM Food Safety laboratory.

According to IAM information, from Jan. 1 to Aug. 21, 23,137 radiation tests on samples of imported Japanese food were conducted and 160 samples for radionuclide testing were collected without any reported abnormalities.

Concurrently, IAM will also increase inspections of retail stores in the city using handheld radiation measuring instruments mainly on non-staple food products, such as pre-packaged food products like rice, seaweed, tea leaves and snacks, imported from other regions in Japan not usually subject to tests and inspections.

“Food samples will also be taken for testing for radionuclides,” IAM said, adding that a dedicated webpage will also be launched where daily reports will be published to “increase the transparency and cultivate the scientific knowledge of the population.”

Customs to add inspections to travelers arriving from Japan

The Macao Customs Service (SA) will enforce added vigilance and inspection over all travelers arriving in Macau from Japan, Kong Hong, Acting Chief of Islands Customs Inspection Division, told the media yesterday in a briefing after a tour to the import inspection area of the Macau International Airport.

The measure complements several local government measures to address food products arriving from Japan and suspected of potential radioactive contamination.

Kong said the SA will also have closer supervision and inspection over all products as well as people arriving from Japan, in addition to the Municipal Affairs Bureau’s (IAM) inspection of imported food products, including the ban on all food products from 10 Japanese prefectures and regions.

He said the SA is mostly concerned about the potential for travelers to carry banned products into Macau in their luggage.

The same official also called on local residents, when returning to Macau after traveling to Japan, not to bring any food products to facilitate the process and to avoid having those items confiscated at the immigration point. A similar inspection will be processed for all visitors arriving in Macau from Japan via the airport. RM