The Greek Ecologists-Greens party on Wednesday asked the government to adopt the same strict standards for radiation levels in food as those adopted in Japan, despite the refusal of the European Commission and the European Union to adopt stricter limits.
In a letter to Health Minister Andreas Loverdos and Agricultural Development and Food Minister Kostas Skandalidis, the party said it was a major political problem that "acceptable levels of radiation on imported Japanese foods are up to 20 times more lenient than those established by Japan."
Attached to the letter was a table showing that European radiation limits were between 2.5 and 20 times higher for various kinds of radioactive substances, such as radioactive caesium and plutonioum, in food and water.
"It is inconceivable for foods that cannot be consumed in Japan due to their radiation levels to be distributed legally in Europe," said EcoGreens spokeswoman Eleanna Ioannidou. "It is like inviting them to export to our countries."
She called on the Greek government to immediately take measures to effectively protect public health, saying that the EcoGreens demanded an immediate and effective response.
source: ANA
