Belarus tightens control over food imports from Japan

MINSK. March 29. KAZINFORM Belarus has tightened control over foodstuffs imported from Japan, Healthcare Minister of Belarus Vasily Zharko told reporters at the international exhibition Healthcare of Belarus 2011 in Minsk on 29 March, BelTA has learnt.

Vasily Zharko assured that products with increased levels of radioactivity will not make it to Belarusian stores. The food safety watchdogs and customs services of Belarus have reinforced food safety control over the products from Japan.

Apart from that, the minister noted that constant monitoring of the radioactivity background is carried out in Belarus. "The radiation leak from the Japanese nuclear power plant has not caused increased radioactivity in our country," he said. "At present the situation is stable. An insignificant amount of radioactive vapor has been reported in Belarus, too, but the amount is so small that it poses no threat. There are no reasons to be worried," the Healthcare Minister underlined.

The devastating 9-magnitude earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March destroyed the infrastructure of the north-east coast of Japan and disabled the cooling system of reactors of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant which led to fires, several explosions and radiation leak, BelTA reports.


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