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The work of the Municipal Affairs Bureau radiation-inspection team (Photos: Vitor Alves)

Government Information Bureau

2023-08-25 18:32

In response to Japan’s announcement it had started discharging into the sea Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water, Macao has from 24 August 2023 banned the import, from 10 Japanese metropolises and prefectures, of fresh food, animal-derived food, sea salt, seaweed and other food products. In order to ensure food safety in Macao and the health of the city's population, the Municipal Affairs Bureau has put in place strengthened measures to check radiation levels in those foods that can still be imported from Japan.
Fresh aquatic products imported from Japan are mainly transported direct to Macao by air. After arrival in Macao, these products have to be declared for inspection and quarantine, in accordance with the law, at the import-inspection area of Macau International Airport. Municipal Affairs Bureau staff use portable radiation-monitoring equipment to check levels of radionuclides in aquatic products, and any other batch of imported fresh food from Japan.
Fresh aquatic products imported from Japan are mainly transported direct to Macao by air. After arrival in Macao, these products have to be declared for inspection and quarantine, in accordance with the law, at the import-inspection area of Macau International Airport. Municipal Affairs Bureau staff use portable radiation-monitoring equipment to check levels of radionuclides in aquatic products, and any other batch of imported fresh food from Japan.
Municipal Affairs Bureau staff use portable radiation-monitoring equipment to check levels of radionuclides in every batch of imported food from Japan.
Municipal Affairs Bureau staff use portable radiation-monitoring equipment to check levels of radionuclides in every batch of imported food from Japan.
If no initial abnormalities are detected in a batch of imported food, Municipal Affairs Bureau staff will conduct health-quarantine checks on it, including an examination of health-declaration documents, and visual inspection.
If no initial abnormalities are detected in a batch of imported food, Municipal Affairs Bureau staff will conduct health-quarantine checks on it, including an examination of health-declaration documents, and visual inspection.
Municipal Affairs Bureau staff will also take samples of foods and send them for laboratory-testing regarding the presence of radionuclides. At present, in accordance with health regulations, the checks are mainly for the isotopes I-131, Cs-134, and Cs-137.
Imported food can only be accepted for sale in Macao if no abnormalities are found once the relevant inspection and laboratory procedures are completed.
Since the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan in 2011, the Macao municipal authorities have applied strict risk-management measures regarding the level of radiation in imported food, and implemented multiple checks to ensure the safety of food imported from Japan, including inspections at point-of-import and at the retail stage, in order to monitor radioactivity levels in food imported from Japan.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau has launched a dedicated webpage (https://www.foodsafety.gov.mo/c/fstopic/topicdetail/49839ae5-67c9-4938-9ae0-cd6b202ae23e) that will publish daily reports on radionuclide tests that have been conducted.