Exhibitors at the International Boston Seafood Show expressed confidence in regulators’ ability to protect consumers from fish products possibly tainted by the nuclear disaster in Japan, while others said it’s too soon to determine how the crisis will affect business.
“There’s uncertainty and that’s the kindest thing you can say about this disaster,” said Pip Fillingham, vice president of operations for Copper River Seafoods, an Alaska-based distributor of salmon who was one of 17,000 buyers and sellers at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center yesterday. “I don’t think radiation is a serious issue yet, but what happens if there’s a meltdown and what if that toxic cloud comes out to the Pacific and taints the fish supply?”
As a result of the catastrophes at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power stations and the release of radiation into the environment, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said imports are “severely limited” and they are monitoring all records for Japan.
The FDA assured the public that the agency is developing new steps to prevent food imports from Japan contaminated with radiation from reaching consumers.
Read the complete story from the Boston Herald.