Tokyo Food Safety Information Center » Tokyo Metropolitan Government food safety FAQ »Have tests been conducted on radioactive substances in vegetables from home gardens and wild mushrooms?
Have tests been conducted on radioactive substances in vegetables from home gardens and wild mushrooms?
Have tests been conducted on radioactive substances in vegetables from home gardens and wild mushrooms?
- Is it safe to eat fish that I caught myself?
- Can I get food that I have tested?
- A friend sent me some produce, but I’m worried about radioactive substances.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government does not take vegetables from domestic vegetable gardens for testing, but some municipalities do.
The volume of radioactive substances in vegetables varies depending on the type of vegetable, the composition and properties of the soil in the field where they were grown, fertilizers and other factors. Therefore, while it is not known how much there is in individual vegetables, the test results for produce from the same area can be used as a guide considering that that the cultivation environment is relatively close.
There are some areas where testing is conducted for wild vegetables such as mushrooms and edible wild plants.
You can check the results on the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and individual local governments.
With produce sent to you by friends, you can use test results for produce from the same area as a guide as with vegetables from domestic vegetable gardens.
Fish in rivers and lakes are tested before any fishing prohibitions are lifted, with voluntary restraint and shipment restrictions advised if the limit values are exceeded.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government does not current accept testing orders from members of the general public. If you would like any food that you have to be tested, please contact a private-sector testing organization. Additionally, a number of municipalities within the metropolitan area accept orders for testing, so please check with them.