InsideJapan News Network

Prime minister Naoto Kan has extended the food ban issued yesterday (March 22nd), to include cabbage and broccoli grown in Fukushima prefecture.

In addition, milk and parsley from Ibaraki prefecture have also been advised against, Japan Times reports, due to radioactive materials found in recent tests.

However, chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano was quick to pacify public fears, saying: "Even if people have already consumed the listed vegetables or milk, their health will not be endangered."

The government describes these measures as "precautionary" and officials claim that there is only a serious health risk if these vegetables are consumed on a regular basis for several years.

Other detained vegetable shipments included Fukushima cauliflower, mustard plant and turnips, as well as a leafy vegetable called 'kakina'.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, the Waterworks Bureau advised against letting children less than one year old drink tap water, due to higher than normal levels of radioactive iodine.

Yesterday, the government issued its first public health warning after the March 11th earthquake, which advised against eating Fukushima spinach or drinking milk from the region.

Written by Kimberley Homer


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