So, how d'you want your chicken? Chlorinated or irradiated? While all eyes are firmly focussed on a possible NHS stripping, chlorine chicken eating post Brexit future deal with Donald Trump's USA, this little gem might have escaped your attention.
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According to a Telegraph report:
"Radioactive food grown near the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan will be sold to British shoppers next month under controversial EU plans."
This is the area that was devastated by radiation after the disaster in the No1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan in 2011.
And the article goes on to explain that EU rules on radiation levels will be lifted for produce from Japan now that scientists had declared it safe and it will cover all manner of foodstuffs "...including baby food, breakfast cereals, fish, crustaceans, meat and green tea".
And this is important, despite Brexit, because we will be potentially tied into this deal until the 31st of December 2020.
The Telegraph quotes the chair of the environment, food and rural affairs committee in the last parliament, Neil Parish, as saying that the UK doesn't need this deal and that "If the Japanese won’t eat this stuff, why should we?"
He also said that the experts might think it's OK to eat it, but that any food from that region should be labelled, so that consumers can make their own informed decision on whether to buy it or not.
We will of course be able to re-investigate this matter after Brexit, but we won't be able to actively change anything until after the transition phase has run its course at the end of next year.
And one French MEP, Michèle Rivasi, is also planning to raise objections to this plan within the EU.
Now, what this means is that radiation inspection certificates will no longer be required for this produce, except for some fish types, mushrooms and wild vegetables.
And the reason for this might be that the Japan Times reports that:
"According to officials, from April 2018 to March 2019, 9.21 million bags of rice were examined with not a single one exceeding the Japanese limit.
"The same for 2,455 samples of fruit and vegetables, 4,336 pieces of meat and 6,187 ocean fish."
But Kenji Kusano, the director of the government's main screening site, the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center in Koriyama, said:
"Only river fish and wild mushrooms have on just six occasions been found to exceed the limits."
So that might explain the EU decision to relax the rules and the stated exceptions.
But the question being raised right now, is will food from the Fukushima prefecture be served at the Tokyo Olympics next year?
The government says that Fukushima is keen to see its produce used, but South Korea has suggested that it might bring its own food and kitchen along to feed its athletes.
With the South Korean Sports and Olympic Committee having already issued a statement saying:
"We have requested the Olympic organizers to provide objective data verified by an independent third body.
"Since Japan repeatedly said its food from Fukushima is safe, we have demanded they provide statistics and data to back up their claims."
And it also seems that both China and the US are not keen to import food from the area.
So let's have a look at the levels that are deemed acceptable by Japan and how they compare with the those of the EU.
According to the Japan Times, their government allows a maximum of 100 becquerels of caesium radioactivity per kilogram of produce.
But it says that the US maximum level is set 12 times higher than that at 1,200 becquerels per kilogram and the EU has an even higher acceptable limit of 1,250 becquerels per kilogram.
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