Residents shop for sushi and sashimi at a Japanese supermarket in Beijing. Public fears and frustrations are being shared in Japan's neighboring countries about the release of treated radioactive wastewater from a crippled nuclear power plant Thursday. Some people in South Korea say they won't eat seafood, even after its conservative government endorsed the safety of the Japanese plan. China summoned Japan’s ambassador in Beijing and a government spokesperson called the discharge plan irresponsible. - AP
Beijing: The sales of domestically produced seafood and other aquatic products have surged dramatically on major Chinese e-commerce platforms, which have vowed to step up testing for radioactive substances to ensure the quality and safety of these products, after Japan started releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean last Thursday.
Data from online retailer Pinduoduo showed that the turnover of domestic sea cucumbers, shrimp, crabs, freshwater fish and seafood gift boxes on its online marketplace doubled last Thursday compared with the day before.
The transaction volume of large yellow croakers and freshwater crabs, such as hairy crabs, skyrocketed 148% and 730%, respectively, during the period, according to Pinduoduo.
Sales of aquatic products on JD Super, the online supermarket arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD, jumped 150% year-on-year last Thursday, while the figure soared 63% from last Tuesday to last Thursday compared with the period from Aug 15 to 17.
JD Super said it has strengthened testing for radioactive substances in seafood and other aquatic products, and stepped up monitoring to ensure that the seafood being sold was caught during a period before Japan started releasing contaminated water.
The platform will keep checking the place of origin and the time of capture of seafood that will be sold in the future, and increase the categories of domestic freshwater aquaculture products, JD Super added.
China suspended imports of all aquatic products originating in Japan starting last Thursday, when Japan started releasing radioactive water from its tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean, according to the General Administration of Customs.
Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy, said an increasing number of Chinese consumers are paying more attention to health and food safety, and they prefer domestic aquatic products in order to reduce the potential risks of radioactive contamination caused by Japan’s discharge.
“However, I think stockpiling seafood and aquatic products is unnecessary,” Zhu said.
He emphasised that consumers should instead remain rational and choose credible channels to purchase the products.
Currently, central government departments have strengthened the testing and monitoring of imported aquatic products to ensure the quality and safety of such commodities, he added.
Song Wei, a primary school teacher in Beijing and the mother of a six-year-old boy, said she bought 2kg of freshly caught crabs last Friday on JD.
“These crabs are from Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, and very fresh. Food safety is a top priority for my family, and it is important to learn about the source of the seafood, its processing and whether it went through the necessary safety checks,” Song said. — China Daily/ANN
