KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

U.S. Foodservice’s team of food safety experts are closely monitoring the situation in Japan and will keep you up to date on the situation. In the interim, visit www.FDA.gov for more information.

The discovery of elevated levels of radiation in ocean water near the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex has some Americans wondering if they’ll have to give up sushi and other types of seafood imported from Japan. Radiation has also found its way into spinach and raw milk. But experts say that at current levels, the contamination holds no risk for American consumers and only a minor, manageable, risk for people living near the damaged nuclear complex.

The Asian countries surrounding Japan — including China and South Korea — have begun radiation monitoring of food imports from Japan. The World Health Organization advised on Monday that the Japan should quickly ensure that no tainted foods are sold, to protect those living near the affected area from consuming large quantities of those products. But in the U.S., where foods from Japan account for less than 4 percent of all imported foods, there is "no risk to the U.S. food supply," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday.

Ever since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, when it became clear that contaminated food could lead to cancers government agencies around the world set a very low threshold for triggering actions such as banning sales of radiation-tainted foods, says Norman Kleiman, a environmental health scientist at the Mailman School of Public Health and director of the Eye Radiation Environmental Research Laboratory, both at Columbia University.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

© 2011 msnbc.com. 

Posted by Chef Bill Brooks, Corporate Chef, U.S. Foodservice, Inc

Opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily

reflect those of U.S. Foodservice, Inc