Since the fiscal 2011, just after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU) has been conducting a survey to find out the level of radioactive substances in home meals, and on March 7, 2017 the results for the fiscal 2016 was released.

The anxiety of co-op members as well as the general public regarding radioactive contamination of food has not ceased, serving the purpose for the continuing investigation, to find out the actual situation scientifically and to help to understand the current situation by providing survey results and related information widely to consumers in an easy-to-understand manner.

This time the survey period was from June 25 2016 to January 31 2017 with a target number of 253 households (253 meals samples from 19 prefectures from Tohoku to Chubu. For Fukushima prefecture alone 100 households 100 samples were taken). The two-day meals from each household (total of 6 meals and between-meal snack) was made into one sample, mixed together and examined for cesium levels using a germanium semiconductor detector. The detection limit (threshold) for the measurement of cesium 134, cesium 137 and potassium 40 was 1 Bq/kg.

Comparing the investigation results in fiscal 2016 with the results in the past 5 years, the following results have been summarized.

About the amount of the radioactive cesium per 1 kg of meal, the radioactive cesium beyond the detection limit was not detected by any of the samples investigated in fiscal 2016.

In each year of investigation from 2011 to 2013 some amount of radioactive cesium was detected but the detection ratio and the maximum value of radioactive cesium has been reduced with each passing year, however, from fiscal 2014 no radioactive cesium has been detected for 3 consecutive years.

As a result of having investigated 2,128 samples in 6 years, it could be inferred that the assumption that one could continuously be eating meals containing 1 Bq/kg or more of radioactive cesium is extremely low.

Estimated internal radiation exposure dose from meal per one year (radioactive cesium) has become progressively lower from 2011 to 2013. From fiscal 2014 to 2016, radioactive cesium could not be detected and therefore cannot be compared, however, the internal exposure dose is considered to be equal or less than the level recorded in 2013.

Radioactive potassium (Potassium 40), which is included in food regardless of nuclear disasters, was detected in all samples with a value of 14- 59 Bq/kg.

Hence the internal radiation exposure dose of radioactivity per year would be 0.045- 0.29 mSv.

This result is same with the past 5 years.

JCCU would continue this investigation in the years ahead to disseminate the right information to members and the general public.