On July 23rd, the Health and Welfare Department of Taiwan announced plans to further relax the regulatory measures imposed on Japanese food imports after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The ban on wild bird and animal meat products, among other food items, from five prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima, will be lifted, and a 60-day public consultation on this measure will be conducted.

After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, relevant departments of Taiwan authorities suspended the import of all food and beverage products, except for alcoholic beverages, from five prefectures in Japan: Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba. In February 2022, Taiwan relaxed these regulations but still maintained the ban on wild bird and animal meat products and mushroom products from these five prefectures. Japan has been persuading Taiwan to fully lift the ban.

The Health and Welfare Department of Taiwan authorities released a message stating that, in consideration of all food imports from the five prefectures in Japan since February 2022 meeting Taiwan's health standards in terms of nuclear radiation testing, they plan to fully lift the ban on food products from these five prefectures and conduct a 60-day public consultation on this measure. If implemented, this would mean that Taiwan has, in principle, fully lifted the ban on Japanese food imports.

According to a report by Taiwan's "China Times News Network" on July 24, the Health and Welfare Department of Taiwan authorities recently announced plans to fully lift the ban on food imports from five cities and prefectures in Fukushima. However, the Consumers' Foundation pointed out that traces of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 are still detected in imported food from Japan, indicating that it is not yet the right time for a full lifting of the ban.

The Consumers' Foundation noted that according to the latest data from the Health and Welfare Department, there are still instances of trace amounts of radiation detected in imported food from Japan. Over the past three years, foods such as matcha powder, sliced shiitake mushrooms (wood-grown), matsutake mushrooms, bilberry extracts, frozen chestnut cream, konjac powder, and concentrated blueberry juice have been found to contain traces of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137. Therefore, it is not yet the right time to discuss a full lifting of the ban. Additionally, while the testing results indicate the origin of some agricultural products, more detailed information is lacking, and it is not possible to trace their history. For consumers, the information is still not transparent.

The Consumers' Foundation also expressed that consideration should be given to the fact that the items proposed for lifting the ban include "wild birds and animals" and "mushrooms and brassica vegetables." Since wild birds, animals, and plants are more exposed to and affected by environmental radiation compared to generally farmed and cultivated agricultural products, whose production processes can be controlled, these types of food items have a higher potential risk of contamination.

Therefore, the Consumers' Foundation appeals that, before the complete elimination of radiation in Japanese food and the passing of the radiation half-life period, the Health and Welfare Department should prioritize public health as the most important consideration in its policies.