Fukushima Government to Push Fukushima Rice in Restaurants and Schools

Now that the rice from all districts and cities in Fukushima Prefecture are declared "safe" (i.e. below the provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium), the Fukushima prefectural government is gearing up for the PR campaign it plans to mount to promote Fukushima rice in restaurants and school lunches and to consumers in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

From NHK Japanese (10/13/2011):

福島県が進めてきた収穫後のコメの放射性物質の検査が終わり、コメの作付けが行われたすべての市町村で国の基準を下回って出荷が認められました。福島県は、今後、コメの安全性を消費者にピーアールするなど風評被害対策を強化することにしています。

Fukushima Prefecture finished testing for radioactive materials in harvested rice. In all districts where rice was planted, the level of radioactive materials was lower than the national safety standard, and the shipment of rice is now allowed. Fukushima is planning to counter "baseless rumors" by appealing the safety of the rice to consumers.

原発事故を受けて福島県が進めてきた収穫後のコメの検査は、１２日、二本松市などを最後に終わり、すべての地点で国の暫定基準値を下回ったため、ことしコメの作付けを行った４８市町村すべてで出荷が認められました。

The testing of harvested rice was completed on October 12 with Nihonmatsu City, and as rice from all districts tested lower than the national provisional safety limit the shipment of rice is allowed in all 48 municipalities that planted rice this year.

検査をした１１７４か所のうち８２％に当たる９６４か所で放射性物質は検出されず、１キログラム当たり２００ベクレル以上の放射性物質が検出されたのは、１か所にとどまりました。

Rice from 1,174 locations were tested, in 82% of those locations or 964 locations no radioactive materials were detected. Only one location tested more than 200 becquerels/kg of radioactive materials [cesium].

このため福島県は、県内産のコメの安全性は確保されているとしています。福島県は、今後、知事や職員が首都圏などの消費地に出向いてピーアールを行ったり、飲食店や学校給食で県内産のコメの積極的な利用を呼びかけたりするなど、風評被害対策を強化することにしています。

Therefore, Fukushima Prefecture considers the rice grown in Fukushima is safe. The prefectural government is planning to send the governor and other city officials to the Tokyo metropolitan area to appeal to consumers and to call for increased use of Fukushima rice in restaurants and school lunches in order to counter the "baseless rumors".

The NHK article has an accompanying news clip, where you get to see how the "testing" was done at the Fukushima prefectural government. A government worker is waving a scintillation meter over a plastic bag that contains a small amount of brown rice. He spends about 2 seconds at most for each bag.

If you recall, waving a scintillation meter over the meat cow was how they were testing the meat for radiation at first. We know how that ended up.　

In the "main" test after the rice harvest, they tested 2 samples per district (villages and towns before they were incorporated into nearby large cities), except for one district in Shirakawa City where 500 becquerels/kg of cesium was detected in the preliminary test. There, if the testing was done according to what the Fukushima prefectural government had announced, samples from two locations per 15 hectares in the district were measured.

But good luck persuading the consumers who refuse to buy Fukushima rice, when a rice farmer in Fukushima is not sending his crop this year to his family members and relatives because of radioactive cesium, no matter how it is "below the safety limit". According to Asahi Shinbun (10/13/2011),

本検査で１０４ベクレルを検出した福島市水原地区でコシヒカリを作る男性（６９）は「離れて暮らす孫には『ほかで買ってくれ』と言うしかない」と話した。

A man, aged 69, grows "Koshihikari" brand rice in Mizuhara district in Fukushima City where 104 becquerels/kg [of radioactive cesium] was detected in the "main" testing. He said, "I have no choice but to tell my grandchild who lives far away to buy rice somewhere else".

　毎年、札幌市の次女の一家に１年分のコメを送ってきた。ほかにも福島市内の親戚や知人ら十数人に送るのが慣例だったが、今年は難しいと考えている。

He always sends a year supply of rice to his second daughter's family who lives in Sapporo City. He also sends rice to relatives and acquaintances in Fukushima City. But this year, it will be difficult to do so [he probably won't send the rice this year].

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