Japan Earthquake
A woman shops for vegetables at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippl...
A woman shops for vegetables at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex have seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Japan Earthquake
A worker stocks tomatoes from Tochigi Prefecture at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination fro...
A worker stocks tomatoes from Tochigi Prefecture at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex have seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture and milk from farms in Fukushima Prefecture near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Japan Earthquake
A man looks at a package of spinach from Chiba Prefecture on sale at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that ...
A man looks at a package of spinach from Chiba Prefecture on sale at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex have seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture and milk from farms in Fukushima Prefecture near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Japan Earthquake
A woman passes spinach from Ibaraki Prefecture on sale at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contaminati...
A woman passes spinach from Ibaraki Prefecture on sale at a market Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Tokyo. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex have seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture and milk from farms in Fukushima Prefecture near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Japan Earthquake
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first s...
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex has seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan Earthquake
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds a spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first sig...
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds a spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex has seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan Earthquake
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds a spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first sig...
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, weeds a spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex has seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan Earthquake
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, stands at her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the fir...
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, stands at her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex has seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan Earthquake
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, stands at her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the fir...
Chiyoko Kaizuka, 83-year old farmer, stands at her spinach field Sunday, March 20, 2011 in Moriya, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. Japan announced the first signs that contamination from its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex has seeped into the food chain, saying that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the facility exceeded government safety limits. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The World Health Organization says Japan needs to act quickly and ban food sales from areas around the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant if the food there is found to contain excessive levels of radiation.
A spokesman for the Geneva-based agency says radiation in food can accumulate in the body and poses a greater risk to health than radioactive particles in the air, which disperse within days.
WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told The Associated Press on Monday "they're going to have to take some decisions quickly in Japan to shut down and stop food being used completely from zones which they feel might be affected."
The global body doesn't have any radiation experts of its own in Japan and says any policy decision must be taken by the Japanese government.
