Supermarket chain Aeon Co. will conduct its own radiation checks on rice, although the central government will require municipal governments to examine rice to be harvested in 2011.
Supermarket chain Aeon Co. will conduct its own radiation checks on rice, although the central government will require municipal governments to examine rice to be harvested in 2011.
Aeon officials decided it is vital to promote the safety of the food they sell by taking the initiative to alleviate concerns among consumers.
Rice brands to be examined by Aeon are under the chain's private brand Topvalu, including the Akitakomachi rice grown in the disaster-affected Tohoku region. Under its contract, Aeon can check the Topvalu brand rice for radiation at the time of shipment.
Aeon is already examining rice for cadmium and remaining pesticides, while conducting radiation checks for all cattle used for beef under the Topvalu brand. With the latest moves by the company, Aeon is also expected to check all rice brands it sells in the near future.
A senior official at Aeon said examinations by the government alone may not shake off radiation fears among consumers.
With radiation contamination concerns spreading beyond beef to include rice and other foodstuffs, grocery stores have started to see customers hoarding rice produced in 2010 before the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis began, according to a major supermarket chain. Major supermarkets will likely become increasingly more active in assuring customers that rice cultivated in 2011 is safe.