Saturday, July 23, 2011

Japanese Consumer Advocates Scold Consumers for Making a Fuss About Radioactive Beef

While the producers, wholesalers, and retailers demand that the national government compensate them for the loss as consumers refrain from buying the domestic beef, the supposed consumer organizations basically scold consumers for succumbing to the "baseless rumor" of radiation, ignoring the advice of the government and the experts that eating the contaminated beef won't affect health.

Here's some choice words from the top women from the consumer advocate organizations, as appeared at the end of the Mainichi Shinbun article (7/23/2011) that describes the plight of producers, wholesalers, and retailers in the on-going cesium beef scandal:

放射線への不安と業界の苦悩を、消費者はどう受け止めればいいのか。

How should consumers deal with the fear of radiation and respond to the industry's plight?

 消費者団体「食のコミュニケーション円卓会議」(東京)の市川まりこ代表は「専門家は今発覚している程度の汚染肉を少量食べても健康に問題ないと 言っている。全頭検査は福島では必要かもしれないが、多額の税金で肉を買い上げ焼却することが必要か、議論すべきだ」。消費科学連合会の犬伏由利子副会長 は「米国でBSEが問題になった時は国産牛の信頼が高まったことを思い出してほしい。日本の畜産業がだめになれば自分たちの首を絞めることになる」と冷静な消費行動を呼びかける。

Mariko Ichikawa, head of a consumer group "食のコミュニケーション円卓会議 (Food Communication Round Table)" says, "Experts say there is no effect on health if you eat a small amount of meat with the current [low] level of contamination. It may be necessary to check all meat cows in Fukushima Prefecture, but is it necessary for the government to use a large amount of taxpayers' money to buy the [contaminated] meat and burn it? We need more discussion." Yuriko Inubushi, vice chair of the Consumption Science Federation, calls for calm, "I want everyone to remember the BSE crisis in the US, when people trusted the domestic beef. If the domestic cattle industry goes bust [over this crisis], Japanese consumers would be kicking themselves".

 一方、東京消費者団体連絡センターの矢野洋子事務局長は「行政やマスコミが数値を丁寧に説明するなど正しい情報を提供することが不安払拭(ふっしょく)につながる」と話した。

Yoko Yano, head of the secretariat of the Tokyo Consumers' Cooperative Union, says, "If the government and mass media explain the numbers carefully and provide accurate information, that will remove the anxiety among consumers."

Ah. As if consumers trust the government and mass media in Japan now, like they used to. (I did think for a brief moment that she was kidding.)

So, the burden of propping up the domestic meat industry in addition to propping up the domestic nuke industry and the agricultural industry (particularly in Fukushima) is on the Japanese consumers. If they don't buy the potentially contaminated food and let the government buy up the food (as the Ministry of Agriculture is saying about the cesium beef), they get to pay for it through taxation anyway.

(Buy buy buy! as Mr. Jim Cramer would say.)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yet more ignorance and twisted logic... Shame on Japan !

STeVe the JeW said...

if Oprah questions the safety of radioactive japanese beef...
and we end up getting dr. phil part deux...
then all is lost.

Anonymous said...

Hey Japan, and you wonder why no one wants to go there now huh?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous 10:01 PM
I forgot about tourism. In May, there was a bizarre article on MSNBC.COM featuring American tourists who chose to visit Fukushima despite the warnings. Basically, the article reads like propaganda - how everything was back to normal and how beautiful the place was. I read with shock about people taking their whole families (children) and discovering how beautiful and calm it was. I was going to pass along the link but I see it expired; I still have the full article text. It's really complete propaganda but what was MSNBC doing spreading it for the Japanese? I wonder how those interviewed feel about their wonderful visit now? Here's the dead link and author's name:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42855644/ns/world_news-asiapacific

By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA
updated 5/2/2011 8:57:22 AM ET

Matt D said...

I think this suggest that there are actually strong ties between the consumer organizations and the makers of the consumer goods. This is all too typical in Japan, isn't it?

When push comes to shove ... we see where the consumer organizations' allegiance really is, and it's not with the consumer.

Anonymous said...

This is momentum - the govt and corporations don't want to have to change anything or especially share money, not on mere people. So they instead aim to convince everyone to eat contaminated food. They are perfectly willing to see children and adults get ill, suffer, and die so that they can continue to exploit people at low cost.

This episode lets you see into what these 'people' are made of. But I also am convinced this was not an earthquake, it was a deliberately triggered event. And the nuclear problem was created and is being mishandled deliberately. This is Japan's 9/11. So you will not see cooperation from govt and corporations - their puppet masters carried out this attack.

Simply put, the people of Japan are under attack. They must help themselves, not rely on their attackers to protect them.

Naruhodo said...

That lady shouldn't have mentioned BSE!

I remember US meat disappearing from Japanese store shelves o.v.e.r.n.i.g.h.t.

Anonymous said...

BSE requires all US beef to be inspected prior to entry into the Japanese market. This cesium scandal (no requirement for testing all Japanese beef for cesium, even now) shows basically that health concerns over BSE in US beef were simply an economic consideration to prevent foreign penetration in the agriculture market, not a movement to protect the health of the Japanese public. Does anyone remember the ridiculous testing, apple by apple, for bugs in US apples that kept them out of the Japanese market a decade ago? I suppose there will still be high tariffs on US rice as well, after a contaminated Japanese rice crop is harvested this fall.

Anonymous said...

Japan is walking on its head once again....

CinnaJap

Anonymous said...

We are living in societies where the human being, the citizen is no longer on top of the list of priorities.

nika said...

not just Japan that is ruled by corporations - for profit - the US has that down to a science.

Did you know that the US Congress - through the USDA - has banned all non-USDA testing of our cattle for BSE and also expressly banned the communication, in any form, of any non-USDA performed BSE testing.

Layered over this is a poor loop-hole laden USDA BSE surveillance program that is absolutely geared to protect CAFO meat producers and absolutely NOT the consumer.

BSE is very much like radiation poisoning in that it takes decades after exposure for the symptoms/disease to reveal itself (radiation = cancer, germ-line mutations; BSE = Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creutzfeldt–Jakob_disease and other prion diseases )

Anonymous said...

"I still have the full article text. It's really complete propaganda but what was MSNBC doing spreading it for the Japanese?"

Hand of darkness, hand of light.


".. all too typical in Japan, isn't it?"

Looks like a celebration of the riggedness of it all. Peaches? Get real.


"But I also am convinced this was not an earthquake, it was a deliberately triggered event."
Really? And this nuclear blast you're doubtless positing went unnoticed by fishing or shipping vessels in the area, late afternoon was it?


".. disappearing from Japanese store shelves o.v.e.r.n.i.g.h.t."

And they buy govt. bonds as investments. Perhaps someone is more unhappy than admitted to.
Fictitious money is fictitious, after all.


"Japan is walking on its head once again...."
.. in lockstep with ?

Anonymous said...

New Oversight Level for Fort Calhoun

BLAIR, Neb. — Federal regulators plan to increase their oversight of Omaha Public Power District's Fort Calhoun nuclear plant because of a new regulatory violation at the plant.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that the failure of a key electrical part during a test last year represented only a low to moderate safety risk. But Fort Calhoun will receive additional scrutiny because this new violation follows a significant safety concern regulators found last year.

The new oversight level for Fort Calhoun will be determined in September.

The NRC says the part's failure didn't pose a danger to the public because other backup systems were working.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/3234c144c49d4e6ebe1006353244a9e6/NE--Fort-Calhoun-Safety/

".. NRC staff is preparing to meet with officials from OPPD, the owner and operator of the plant, for a second time this summer.
The meeting will be open to the public. It will be held at 9am July 27 .."

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/NRC_to_Revisit_Situation_at_Ft_Calhoun_125586563.html


Cooper Nuclear Station no longer at emergency status

Lantzelot said...

I am not up to date with what levels of radioactivity that have been monitored in the beef, I see some reports of levels up to 1200 Becquerels per kilo, are there higher levels than that reported?

The very fact that beef with high levels are sold, and the response by the groups mentioned in the article (and the authorities) is...not very smooth, to say the least.

Regarding your comment about the quote from Yoko Yano about government information to ease the anxiety, maybe some numbers from another country would be more trustworthy, though the limits and recommendations vary for each country (for a number of reasons).

For whatever it's worth (I can already imagine some of the comments that will follow...), here are the recommendations from the Swedish National Food Administration, and the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority for consumption of food:

< 300 Bq/kg: Ok to eat every day (your body has approximately 100 Bq/kg as natural radiation, to put it in perspective)
300-1500 Bq/kg: Ok to eat a few times per week
1500-10000 Bq/kg: Ok to eat a few times per year
> 10000 Bq/kg: Should be avoided

The limits/recommendations were set in 1986 after the Chernobyl accident with the goal of limiting the dose from food to 1 mSv per year for the general population. This was based on an annual intake of 50000 Bq from Cs-137, but is also taking the Cs-134 into account.
Today the average annual intake in Sweden is less than 300 Bq, i.e. a negligible dose. Some people, who depend a lot on fish, berries, mushrooms and reindeer from the areas in Sweden most affected by Chernobyl fallout, get higher doses.

The information above is from the following links (in Swedish, anybody interested can translate it with google or other tool):
http://www.slv.se/sv/grupp1/Risker-med-mat/Radioaktivitet-och-bestralning/Radioaktiva-amnen/Tio-ar-efter-Tjernobyl/

http://www.slv.se/sv/grupp1/Risker-med-mat/Radioaktivitet-och-bestralning/Radioaktiva-amnen/

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@Lantzelot, thanks for the info. The highest cesium content in beef found in Japan so far is well over 4,000 becquerels/kg. I can't remember the number exactly (I wrote about it, I think), but it was between 4,000 and 4,500. No word at all on beef from cow that ate rice hay with 690,000 becquerels/kg cesium.

Anonymous said...

Orwellian

Anonymous said...

The most dangerous food in Sweden at that time was fresh water fish. Many of them were well above 10000 Becquerels/kg. The fish living on grass was most dangerous in the beginning, later was fishes living on other fishes most dangerous.

It is strange that it is only reports about the beef in Japan. It should have been more reports about fresh water fishes, since they can reach levels above 10000 Becquerels/kg.

Chris said...

EX-SKF: Some time ago, you posted an especially wonderful explanation of the "baseless rumor" euphemism. Thanks to the volumes of great posts on this site, I wasn't easily able to find it again. Could you please direct me to that post, I'd love to read it again.
I really appreciate this site, your opinion, and the wealth of information, its been a critical component to my understanding of the Fukushima disaster and the ongoing aftermath. Cheers and Thank You.

Anonymous said...

I am afraid it wil manifest it self son, the sad part is to what a price.
I am afraid its going to take a while, it usaly do.
Radiation is not like a bullet, is a slow and steadily accumulating proses.
It is already taking its toe on pets and plants,then the next stepp is us.

A am afraid this wil slowly be forgotten and hidden, and during this fall and winter it prbably wil manifest its self in a fasion that wil be notesed. But then the problem is ofscale from what we have had so far, wait 4 months and then what.
This is a deadly and highly dangerous state of denile and a selfimposed blindness to reality thats gone beyound reason.
This is the begining of my Nightmare senario, it begins now.

Even after the killings in my home country I am equaly numbed by the madness in your govements handling of the accident and radiation.

Time is now of a vitale matter, map(find safe sones) and messure(find safe food and wather), everything must be stepped up.

"Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal."
— E. Joseph Cossman

Lantzelot said...

@arevamirpal::laprimavera, 24 July, 11:05 AM

Ok, thanks. 4000 Bq/kg should be handled more seriously by the authorities. In Sweden you cannot sell any food with levels above 300 Bq/kg, though there is a limit of 1500 Bq/kg for some foodstuff that most people do not eat that often (fish from inland lakes for instance).

As I said before, each country has its own levels and recommendations, and after an accident one may have special reasoning depending on where one considers it most efficient to make an effort from a population health perspective. This may sound cynical, but there are situations where, for example, it is considered to be less health effects to let children drink contaminated milk than the alternative that the children do not drink milk at all. Anyhow, the information from the authorities need to be clear. This does not seem to be the case here, or?

Regarding the high levels in the hay that the cows have eaten; the biological half-life for Cesium is much shorter than the radiological half-life, so although the levels are very high in the hay the levels would go down quite fast (weeks or months) if the cows are given uncontaminated hay.
Furthermore, not much of it will show up in the meat due to limited uptake that way, though it would probably show up clearly in milk from the same cows.

Lantzelot said...

@Anonumous, 24 July, 12:21 PM

It is strange that it is only reports about the beef in Japan. It should have been more reports about fresh water fishes, since they can reach levels above 10000 Becquerels/kg.

During my time in Japan I never encountered fresh water fish, only fish from the sea. This could very well be ignorance on my part, but I got the impression that it is not a major foodstuff in Japan, except locally and for those who have fishing as a hobby. Please correct me on this if necessary. If my reasoning is correct, it would only affect a limited fraction of the population.

Furthermore, there were great variations in Swedish lakes due to local conditions, so high levels in fresh water fish from some Swedish lakes does not automatically imply high levels in fish in Japanese lakes.

In any case, by now there should be a monitoring programme for this, and data should be available. If anybody knows, please make a beep about it.

Lantzelot said...

@arevamirpal::laprimavera, 24 July, 11:05 AM

Ok, thanks. 4000 Bq/kg should be handled more seriously by the authorities. In Sweden you cannot sell any food with levels above 300 Bq/kg, though there is a limit of 1500 Bq/kg for some foodstuff that most people do not eat that often (fish from inland lakes for instance).

As I said before, each country has its own levels and recommendations, and after an accident one may have special reasoning depending on where one considers it most efficient to make an effort from a population health perspective. This may sound cynical, but there are situations where, for example, it is considered to be less health effects to let children drink contaminated milk than the alternative that the children do not drink milk at all. Anyhow, the information from the authorities need to be clear. This does not seem to be the case here, or?

Regarding the high levels in the hay that the cows have eaten; the biological half-life for Cesium is much shorter than the radiological half-life, so although the levels are very high in the hay the levels would go down quite fast (weeks or months) if the cows are given uncontaminated hay.
Furthermore, not much of it will show up in the meat due to limited uptake that way, though it would probably show up clearly in milk from the same cows.

Anonymous said...

There is a very simple solution here because,
meats are BAD for you to begin with.

Too many antibiotics, too many growth hormones, too much contaminated feed stock used.

Stop eating meats and you won't die early.
Stop electing politicians that support corporations interests.
Stop believing the lies from proven liars.
Just STOP doing things that put you at risk!

See, simple!

Anonymous said...

Magical thinking ala Mariko Ichikawa and Yoko Yano is epidemic. The end of magical thinking will begin the day someone — ANYONE — is held accountable for his or her actions in the civilized world.

Those still conscious need to stand up to big money and corporate influence, stand up for decency and the common good, before it disappears from sight. Fairy tales are for children. Time to grow up, take care of our kids and old folks, and behave like adults.

nika said...

Isnt Lake Biwa a huge fresh water fish source? They make funazushi there - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Biwa and re: Lake Biwa and Funazushi see the history section here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi

Anonymous said...

Firstly I would like to thank the writer for his dedicated efforts....... am glad to be in Southern Hemisphere although guess the fallout will be a global gift that keeps giving. To the anon who was wondering why MSNBC would broadcast propaganda.... perhaps it is because G.E owns nearly 80% of the network.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

Fresh water fish have been found with high cesium in Tohoku area. Up to 1,000 becquerels/kg of cesium. In Japan fresh water fish are more like seasonal delicacy, but people do eat them.

Anonymous said...

I was wrong about when the fresh water fish reach high level of cesium. The levels continued to raise for 3-4 years, before they started to decrease. That may explain why cesium reports for fresh water fish is not common yet in Japan.

The levels for 3 different location and species and of fresh water fish is found at page 10 in following swedish document

http://www.lansstyrelsen.se/gavleborg/SiteCollectionDocuments/Sv/publikationer/2011/Cesium.pdf

Google do not translate this pdf-file well, so it may best view the original document and cut parts of the text for separate translation.

Anonymous said...

Radiation and Racism... thats Japan all over

Niigata said...

Hello,

I have juste a question for LAPRIMAVERA and for all the readers :

Before the cows become steaks, I think they do milk. So my question is:

Where is the milk of these cows?? Is anyone measuring and monitoring the radioactivity of milk??

I'm sorry but I think I have the answers.
I'm waiting to read yours ...

Niigata

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