Japan Nuclear Disaster Food Risk Interview Survey: Japanese Citizens' Voluntary Testing, Feeling Empathy Toward Taiwan

The Homemakers United Foundation and the Green Citizens' Action Alliance sent staff to Japan for a six-day, five-night "Taiwan-Japan Radiation and Risk Society Interview Survey," visiting scholars, producers, consumers, environmental groups and independent testing organizations in four prefectures and cities: Tokyo, Fukushima, Saitama and Tochigi. The two civic groups held a press conference today (the 22nd) to explain their observations from the Japan visit.

Survey Results: Citizens Test Voluntarily, Decide Whether to Consume Only After Testing

"This survey found that, in fact, the general Japanese public still does not trust the 100 becquerel food distribution standard set by the Japanese government." Lai Hsiao-fen, chairperson of the Homemakers United Foundation, pointed out that many citizens have therefore spontaneously formed testing organizations to monitor radiation levels in food and the environment using stricter testing benchmarks, and to make the testing process and results public so that consumers understand the food situation.

"In Iwaki, there is the Iwaki Radiation Citizens' Testing Office, whose main members are mothers; it tests not only food and soil but also offers thyroid health checks." Lai Hsiao-fen relayed that the organization's representative, Iida Ayumi, said packaging can be faked, and only testing can be trusted: "Only after testing do we decide whether to eat it or not."

"And compared with the national 100 becquerel standard, we only accept 'not detected.'" Iida Ayumi also said that citizens' testing offices can therefore set their machines' detection limit to 1 becquerel, spending more than ten hours on testing, examining food safety by stricter standards.