Busan Seafood, Thorough Inspection and Rigorous Monitoring 'Enjoy with Confidence!'

Establishment of Radiation Safety Management and Safety Inspection and Monitoring System for Seafood at Production and Distribution Stages

Seafood Collection and Inspection Conducted at Production and Distribution Stages ... Zero Non-compliance Cas

"Busan seafood is thoroughly inspected and closely monitored. Please enjoy it with confidence!"

Busan City is diligently implementing radiation safety management for domestically produced and distributed seafood, establishing a meticulous and comprehensive radiation safety inspection and monitoring system by dividing investigation and inspection agencies at each production and distribution stage to prevent the circulation of non-compliant seafood.

This is to address the vague anxiety caused by recent safety controversies related to the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, aiming to enable consumers to safely consume seafood based on scientific information amid concerns about reduced seafood consumption.

The city is putting all available administrative resources into this effort, including conducting public campaigns to actively promote seafood safety.

Since 2021, the city has conducted 2,103 radiation inspections at production and distribution stages, with no cases exceeding the standard limits or being judged non-compliant.

The city collects and inspects seafood at production stages in offshore and coastal seafood wholesale markets, and at distribution stages, it selects targets and locations such as traditional markets frequently visited by citizens, large supermarkets, live fish markets, retail businesses, and seafood supplied to meal service providers for collection and inspection.

▲ Radiation inspection status for seafood at production stage: 892 cases from 2021 to June 2023 (all compliant)

▲ Radiation inspection status for seafood at distribution stage: 1,211 cases from 2021 to June 2023 (all compliant)

Moreover, in the unlikely event of a non-compliant result, the city has a thorough post-management system in place to promptly prohibit sales and manage radiation safety without gaps.

Additionally, the city is continuously conducting focused crackdowns in collaboration with districts and counties on violations of origin labeling, such as false or missing origin indications on imported seafood.

Busan is equipped with a total of 25 radiation inspection devices, establishing a flawless seafood safety management system as a key base for securing citizens’ health and safety.

Due to its geographical characteristic as a maritime city, Busan has 20 radiation inspection devices owned by central government ministries related to marine and fisheries, and 5 devices owned by the city through efforts to expand its own radiation equipment, making its seafood radiation safety management resources superior compared to other cities and provinces.

The five radiation inspection devices owned by the city are all gamma nuclide analyzers. Since they cannot specify contaminated parts of seafood, the seafood is homogenized, and a precise inspection lasting 10,000 seconds per sample is conducted to measure levels of radioactive iodine (131I) and cesium (134Cs+137Cs).

Seafood radiation inspection results are publicly available on the Busan City website for anyone to check at any time.

In cooperation with related agencies such as central government ministries, all inspection results conducted by government ministries including Busan City are transparently disclosed to demonstrate that thorough and meticulous inspections are being carried out.

Furthermore, radiation-related monitoring results and various information on seafood safety are shared to promptly and accurately deliver information to citizens.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, "To create an environment where citizens can safely consume seafood with confidence, our city will further strengthen the radiation inspection and monitoring system meticulously and comprehensively. We ask all citizens to join forces to prevent difficulties in the local economy caused by seafood avoidance and reduced consumption."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.