TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan prepares to lift its ban on Fukushima food imports, retailers and restaurants have demonstrated neutral to conservative attitudes on the issue.
China Times reported that PX Mart, Taiwan’s largest supermarket chain, said it will follow the government’s food safety regulations and decide whether to introduce food products from areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster according to demand. As PX Mart mainly focuses on domestic brands and only sells some Japanese snacks, condiments, noodles, canned food, oil, and powdered drinks, it said it will not sell foods from Fukushima if consumers show no interest.
Other retailers, including A.mart and Carrefour, said they will adhere to government policies and respect consumers’ willingness to buy Fukushima food products. Gary Wang (王令麟), founder and chair of Eastern Multimedia Group, said consumers should have the right to choose what to buy as long as products have clearly labeled places of origin and inspection information.
Restaurant operators were quoted by China Times as saying they felt “okay” about the issue since restaurants do not normally use Japanese ingredients unless they market themselves as doing so. Japanese restaurants, meanwhile, said they will abide by regulations.
United Bakeries Association of the Republic of China (UBAROC) Chair Chou Tzu-liang (周子良) said Taiwan’s bakeries mostly use ingredients from other countries and only use some milk from Japan. He believes the bakery industry will not be affected by the opening of Fukushima food imports.
