Radioactive beef sold off in eight prefectures
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
By TAKAHIRO FUKADA Staff writer
Meat from six cows contaminated with radioactive materials from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant may have reached consumers in eight prefectures, including Tokyo, Kanagawa and Osaka, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Wednesday.
The other five prefectures are Aichi, Hokkaido, Tokushima, Kochi and Shizuoka.
Most of the prefectural governments, however, refused to disclose the names of retailers or even the cities where the meat was sold to shoppers.
"For the meat that was already sold and consumed, there is no particular necessity to worry about the health impact if (the amount individuals consume is limited)," Tatsuo Suzuki, a metropolitan government official, said at a news conference.
"There is no need for us to caution people" about the potential danger of consumption, he said, explaining that the metropolitan government has no intention of disclosing the name of any store that sold the meat.
Responding to inquiries by The Japan Times, four prefectural governments gave some more details about where the meat ended up.
Tokushima Prefecture said a Fuji GRAND supermarket in the city of Anan sold all 8.8 kg of the meat it procured from a wholesaler.
In Aichi, a barbecue restaurant in Ama whose name is being withheld sold 3.15 kg of the meat to consumers, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan and Aichi Prefectural governments.
In Hokkaido, an "izakaya" bar and barbeque restaurant in Chitose sold customers 3 kg, the Tokyo and Hokkaido governments said.
In Shizuoka, a retailer in Makinohara sold 14.5 kg to consumers.
