No sushi for you!

 

As most of us know, Japan was hit by both a tsunami and earthquake not too long ago. These natural disasters were tragic, but were only the beginning of what was to come.  The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima increased the presence of radiation. Some tourist emitted abnormally high levels of radiation and sparked some interest in Chinese government. This has lead the creation of an embargo of Japanese food imports in multiple countries. The Federal and Drug Administration will halt imports on all produce and dairy products from japan whilst they will be screening sea food for radiation. China, South Korea, Australia, and Russia are some examples of countries that are now screening all imports for radiation or just flat out not using any Japanese imports.

Luckily for us in the United States, Japanese foods only make up less than 4 percent of all American imports. I can only imagine this could have hindered other countries food supply as well as Japan’s economy. Officials and health experts say the doses of radiation are low and non threatening to humans unless eaten in abnormally excessive quantities. This still leaves me a bit uneasy knowing that we probably have been eating some radioactive sea food. It’s remarkable how a country like Japan that we believe to be so distant from us has globally affected foods that we eat.

In a more recent article from the times, it has been two years since Fukushima and life has only recently seem to be returning to normal for natives. in this article ‘In Japan, a Portrait of Mistrust’ the author briefly describes his visit to Japan. Astonishing how even two years later people are still weary and untrusting of Japanese food.