Radiation fears may hit Japanese food imports

A person who is believed to be have been contaminated with radiation, wrapped with a blanket, is carried to ambulance at a radiation treatment centre in Nihonmatsu city in Fukushima prefecture. (AFP)

Published Monday, March 14, 2011

By Joseph George

Sushi and other major Japanese products could be in short supply soon in the UAE, as major imports from Japan are likely to be hit hard following the earthquake, tsunami and now nuclear meltdown.

Chang Shin, owner of 1004 Mart, that sells more than fifty different Japanese food products told Emirates 24|7 that he currently has stocks, but would be left short of stuff if the next consignment fails to arrive.

Japanese restaurants said there will be no short term impact.
“We have suppliers who import in bulk. Moreover, ingredients required for making Japanese food are imported from various other markets in the Far East. However, we will have to wait and watch. It might hit us after a few months,” said Dani Manager at Cultures, a Dubai based chain of restaurants that serve mainly Japanese and Mexican food.

Mohammed Nasser, Manager, AGS, who supplies Japanese food products to more than 100 restaurants in the UAE, told Emirates 247 that there would definitely be a shortage but it would not be visible right now.

“We have stocks that can last for almost a month. Frozen items from Japan will be hit the most, mainly due to lack of power supply and transportation,” said Nasser.

“Supply of items like Japanese scallops, will be affected,” he said. I tried to contact our suppliers back in Japan but most of them are unable to say anything at present. Their main focus right now is humanitarian work,” he added.

“The ports north of Tokyo are currently down and it is impossible to get anything out from there for the time being. But the ports south of the country are operating normally so we have to wait and watch how the situation unfolds. Apart from foodstuff, import of electronics and car parts will be majorly hit if there is a disruption in the supply lines,” he said.

Sajjad Pasha, the National Sales and Marketing Manager of Al Futtaim Motors Company told Emirates 24|7 that they are currently observing the situation back in Japan. “It is too early to say anything about the supply line being affected. The effort right now is more towards easing the humanitarian crisis. A clear picture will emerge within a couple of days,” he said.

According to a Reuters report all ports south of Japan's capital were operating normally, while the rest were being assessed for damage after last week's massive earthquake and tsunami.

Quoting Lloyd's List it said that the closure of the ports was expected to cost Japan more than $3.4 billion in lost seaborne trade each day. All Japanese ports were temporarily closed on Friday.

According to Dow Jones, Container shipper Orient Overseas (International) Ltd said Monday its shipping schedules to and from Japan have been affected by Friday's earthquake, and the company has temporarily shut its offices in Tokyo.

A senior official of United Arab Shipping Company told Emirates 24|7 that with communication lines affected, some delays would be expected.

“Not all the areas have been affected and especially the ports that UASC calls on are operational. The communication lines are not normal. We are still waiting for a clear report from the trade office,” the official said.

Another official from Clarion Shipping, an agency in Dubai said it has temporarily stopped taking new shipment orders. “We are still unable to get in touch with our office back in Tokyo,” the official said.

Ports south of Tokyo are all operational while ports north of Tokyo are still under evaluation. According to reports the port of Tokyo has resumed normal operations.

Singapore, Taiwan to test Japanese food for radiation

Singapore on Monday said it was testing food imported from Japan for radiation, with Taiwan planning to follow suit after another explosion rocked an earthquake-hit atomic plant, reported AFP.

"As a precautionary measure, AVA (the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore) will monitor Japanese produce based on source and potential risk of contamination," Singapore's food regulator said in a statement.

"Samples will be taken for testing for radiation. Fresh produce will have priority. AVA will continue to closely monitor the situation and its developments." The AVA said the bulk of Japanese imports arrive by sea, but high-end Japanese restaurants in Singapore routinely use air freight to fly in produce such as raw fish - integral to 'sushi' and 'sashimi' - to ensure its freshness and quality.

The city-state has a large concentration of restaurants serving Japanese cuisine, which is very popular among Singaporeans.

Government figures showed the city-state's imports from Japan totalling S$33.3 billion ($26.2bn) last year.

Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration also said Monday it was planning to test food from Japan for radiation and was finalising regulations governing such measures.

An explosion was seen on Monday at the ageing Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant 250 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, after an earlier blast on Saturday.

The plant's operator Tepco said six people were injured in the blast in what authorities said was probably a hydrogen explosion which apparently did not damage the reactor.

The power station was hit in an 8.9 magnitude quake on Friday that spawned a huge tsunami which smashed into Japan's northeast coast.

Saturday's explosion released radioactive vapours into the surrounding area, but the Japanese government said radiation levels released at that time were not high enough to affect human health.

Nissan Middle East operations normal

Automaker Nissan Middle East said its regional operations are not affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Japan on Friday.

A press statement issued on Monday said: "At this time, we are currently confirming the safety of all Nissan employees and continue to assess the situation at our Japanese facilities, but we do not believe our operations have been significantly affected. Here in the Middle East we are operating normally and do not anticipate any immediate impact on our operations, facilities, dealers or customers."

Northern Japan was hit with an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, and numerous tsunamis are causing heavy damage across the Pacific coastline in Asia. Additionally, tsunami alerts have been issued for communities along the entire North America Pacific coastline.

Operations were suspended at Nissan’s Japan plants through to Sunday, March 13. Nissan’s global headquarters building in Yokohama was not significantly affected and is safe and operational. So far, there are no reports of employee casualties and employee safety precautions are underway at all locations. Nissan Middle East’s team will monitor the operational status of our Japan facilities for any scheduling updates.

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The page was last updated on: 9 January 2016 20:45