FDA: Radiation From Japan No Risk to U.S. Food Supply

WASHINGTONWhile radiation fears from the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan have many countries in Asia screening food imported from Japan for signs of radiation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a statement saying there is no current risk to the U.S. food supply.

FDA is closely monitoring the situation and working with officials in Japan to continue to ensure that imported food remains safe. The agency does not have concerns with the safety of imported food products that have already reached the United States and are in distribution.

FDA is collecting information on all FDA-regulated food products exported to the United States from Japan, including where they are grown, harvested or manufactured, so it can evaluate whether they may pose a risk to U.S. consumers in the future. FDA also will develop a monitoring strategy that may include increased and targeted product sampling at the border.

According to the FDA, foods imported from Japan make up less than 4 percent of foods imported from all sources. (Food products from Canada and Mexico each make up about 29 percent of all imported foods.) The most common food products imported include seafood, snack foods and processed fruits and vegetables. Dairy products make up only one-tenth of 1 percent of all FDA-regulated products imported from Japan.