Editorial | Best to err on side of caution with seafood
- Hong Kong must keep monitoring measures and ban on Japanese marine products in place until it is shown that the discharge of Fukushima waste water is safe
Hong Kong rightly strengthened a raft of monitoring and inspection measures as Japan began discharging treated waste water from its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.
While initial readings from different sources are yet to ring alarm bells, damage to the environment and food sources may take longer to inflict. The plan to get rid of 1.32 million metric tonnes of the liquid may take 30 years and requires utmost vigilance.
Equally worthy of concern is the impact of the government’s ban on seafood from parts of Japan on restaurants, retailers and the wider economy.
The city is Japan’s second largest market for fisheries exports, having consumed products worth about 75.5 billion yen (HK$4.1 billion) last year, or more than one-fifth of the country’s total exports of marine products.
The potential consequences for public food safety and the economy cannot be overlooked.
The indefinite ban that covers 10 Japanese prefectures is a necessary step to protect public health, as is the enhanced testing of food from other parts of the country.