Tragically, unsuspecting victims have eaten beef contaminated by radioactive cesium and the Japanese government has yet to complete the process of tracking down all it—estimated 1,438 kilograms [3,170 lb.]. At the distributor level the beef was contaminated with three to six times levels considered by the Japanese government to be safe (up to up to 3,200 becquerel per kilogram).
I could not find any information on whether or not the Japanese government is going to even bother to try to track down the victims who may have been contaminated with radioactive cesium by the beef. However, Hosno, the minister in charge of the nuclear crisis was very quick out of the gate with a don't worry, be happy response telling them that eating the the cesium contaminated beef "will not have a large impact on your health."
The Agricultural ministry will be researching how long it takes to reduce the cesium levels in cesium contaminated cattle after starting to use uncontaminated feed. They are also testing how locally raised cattle uptake cesium rather than continuing to rely on International Atomic Energy Agency data. One would think the Japanese people would prefer that they focus their resources on keeping the cesium from entering the food chain in the first place.
Japan's beef export association has accused the Japanese government of mishandling the beef contamination issue.
373 kg [822 lbs.] of beef from Fukushima farm may have been consumed - The Mainichi Daily News
A total of 373 [822 lbs.] kilograms of meat from six cows shipped from a farm in Fukushima Prefecture, where cattle have been found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium, may have already been consumed, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Wednesday.
It has been estimated that a combined 1,438 kilograms [3,170 lb.] of the beef have been distributed to 12 prefectures, including Hyogo Prefecture, with the Tokyo government saying their destinations have almost been identified.
In Himeji, Hyogo, a slaughterhouse purchased 76 kg of the beef, but it returned them to an Osaka wholesaler, thus the meat was not delivered to consumers.
The six cows ate the same straw at a farm in Minamisoma, a city near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, while another 11 cows from the farm were shipped to a Tokyo meatpacking plant and were found to have been contained with elevated levels of cesium.
Of the six head of cattle, four had cesium in excess of the government limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram.
(Mainichi Japan) July 13, 2011
AFP: Fears mount in Japan over radioactive beef
Fears mount in Japan over radioactive beef
(AFP) – 7/13/11
The readings of up to 3,200 becquerel per kilogramme were taken at a Tokyo meat-packaging plant, after earlier external readings at the farm had picked up no sign of radiation, according to officials.
The farm in Minamisoma, just beyond the 20-kilometre (12-mile) exclusion zone, had already sold six cows in May and June. Their beef was shipped across the country and much of it is believed to have been consumed.
Of the total amount, 1,438 kilogrammes (3,165 pounds) of beef were distributed to shops and restaurants in 12 prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, a Tokyo metropolitan government official said.
The government sought to reassure the public that there is no immediate threat. "Eating part of it in small amounts will not have a large impact on your health," said Goshi Hosono, minister in charge of the nuclear crisis.
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Food testing remains largely under the control of prefectural officials, who admit that they can only carry out spot checks for contamination.
Meat of 6 cows fed radioactive straw reaches 9 prefectures - The Mainichi Daily News
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The meat of six cows shipped from a Fukushima Prefecture farm at the heart of growing concerns over radioactive beef has been distributed to at least nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, local government officials said Tuesday.
The cows ate the same straw at the farm in Minamisoma, a city near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as another 11 cows that were shipped to a Tokyo meat-packing plant from the farm and whose meat was found to contain excessive levels of the isotope.
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The farm shipped the six cows between May and June, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government. Their beef was distributed to five prefectures -- Shizuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Kanagawa and Ehime. It was also distributed to dealers in Hokkaido, Aichi, Tokushima and Kochi prefectures.
Excessive levels of radioactive cesium were found in the distributed beef kept at a restaurant in the city of Shizuoka and at a wholesaler in Tokyo, according to the officials.
The beef from the 11 cows processed at the Tokyo plant has been found to contain radioactive cesium three to six times the allowable level, and was not shipped to markets.
The straw at the farm in question contained radioactive cesium around 56 times the allowable limit. It had been stored in an unroofed area of the farm when a series of explosions occurred at the power plant shortly after the plant was hit by the earthquake and tsunami in March.
(Mainichi Japan) July 12, 2011
Govt to survey cesium absorption / Study will seek to determine how much cesium cows take in through feed : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
The farm ministry plans to study how much radioactive cesium contained in grass is absorbed by domestically raised beef cattle and milk cows, ministry sources said.
The numerical value to be determined through the planned survey, known as the transfer factor, will help determine whether radioactive cesium in cow milk and beef exceeds the ministry-set limit.
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The government established the current limits based on transfer factor data released by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, as cows differ in terms of species and the amount of feed they eat, the ministry decided to collect transfer factor data on domestic cattle, the sources said.
Meat of cows shipped from a farm in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, was found to have contained more than 500 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, the government limit set under the Food Sanitation Law. Excessive levels of radioactive matter were also detected in straw fed to cows, topping the allowable limit of 300 becquerels per kilogram.
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The ministry also plans to examine how long it would take to lower cattle's radiation levels by giving them radiation-free feed.
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The ministry aims to announce the research findings by the end of this fiscal year, the sources said.
(Jul. 13, 2011)
Radiation Raises Food-Safety Concerns in Japan - Bloomberg
Jul 13, 2011 9:21 PM CT
Beef contaminated by radiation from Fukushima prefecture has been eaten by consumers in Japan, intensifying food-safety concerns and stoking criticism against a government testing program that checks only selected products.
About 437 kilograms of beef from a farm in Minami-Soma city, 30 kilometers from the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear station, was consumed in eight prefectures, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government, which detected the first case of tainted beef from the farm earlier this month.
Four months after a record earthquake and tsunami crippled the power plant in Fukushima, site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, local government offices are struggling to check every farm product due to a shortage of testing equipment, staff and budget. Prolonged exposure to radiation in the air, ground and food can cause leukemia and other cancers, according to the London-based World Nuclear Association.
“The government’s mishandling of the issue is deepening food-safety concerns,” Susumu Harada, senior director at the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Tokyo office, said in an interview.
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