Japan’s 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami: Food and Agriculture Implications
Released: 2011-05-18T00:00:00

Introduction

The widespread devastation from the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami affected many agricultural and fishery areas in Japan. In addition, detected radioactive contamination of food produced near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant has raised fears about the safety of Japan's food production systems and its future food exports. Many countries have increased their surveillance of food products from Japan, and the Japanese government has taken steps to monitor and restrict, if necessary, the distribution of contaminated foods. In the United States, the two primary agencies that regulate U.S. food imports—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—have taken steps to address these concerns. Other U.S. agencies are also working to address this situation, as well as concerns about whether radiation leaks from Japan might possibly affect food production in the United States or U.S. territories in the Pacific. Various international organizations, including those within the United Nations, are closely monitoring global concerns about the safety of foods produced in Japan.

Japan's Food Industry

Production

Japan's agricultural and fisheries industries account for a small share (less than 2%) of its total yearly GDP, but are an important part of the country's overall economy. Agricultural output, measured at the farm level, totals about $70 billion annually. The value of Japan's fisheries accounts for another $14 billion. Principal food commodities produced in Japan include fish and seafood, rice, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and dairy and poultry products.

Despite its size, Japan has roughly the same number of commercial farms as the United States—estimated at about 2 million. These farms are spread across an estimated 11.4 million acres of cultivated farmland (a fraction of that in the United States, estimated at more than 400 million acres). Japan's marine fisheries industry has about 115,200 business enterprises and another 6,500 "inland water" (aquaculture) operations.

Trade

Japan is a net food importer ( Table 1 ). Imports of agricultural and fisheries products totaled $59.3 billion in 2010. Nearly half of the value of Japan's food imports consisted of fish and meat products. Other imports include grains and bakery goods (23% of total value), and vegetables and fruits (8%). The United States was the leading supplier, accounting for about one-fourth of food imports ($14.1 billion in 2010). About half of the value of U.S. food exports to Japan consisted of cereal grains, including corn ($3 billion in 2010, accounting for 30% of all U.S. corn exports). Other U.S. exports were seafood, meat and dairy products (21%), and fruits and nuts (5%).

Japan's food exports totaled $4.7 billion in 2010. Leading Japanese food exports included fish and other animal products (about 40%), processed foods, bakery products, and grains (about 15%), beverages (8%), and other miscellaneous products ( Table 1 ). Food exports to the United States totaled nearly $700 million in 2010, accounting for about 15% of Japan's total food exports. Exports to the United States consisted mostly of fish and animal products, processed bakery products and grains, and beverages.

Policy Priorities

The agricultural and food sectors are important and strategic aspects of Japan's government policies. Japan provides generous support to its agricultural sectors and protects its domestic producers by imposing high tariffs on most imported foods. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that Japan provides substantial government support for its domestic farmers—estimated at more than $46 billion in 2009—ranking Japan second behind the European Union (EU) in terms of total governmental farm spending among developed countries.

Japan's current agricultural policy plan (Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas Basic Plan) "addresses wide-ranging policy change by designating food, agriculture and rural areas governance as a national strategy." One of the plan's principal goals is to raise Japan's self-sufficiency in food production from an estimated 40% in recent years to 50% by FY2020. Food self-sufficiency is reported to be greater in some prefectures. The five coastal prefectures that were most affected by earthquake and tsunami had a reported high food self-sufficiency ratio: Aomori (119%); Iwate (104%); Miyagi (80%); Fukushima (85%); and Ibaraki (70%). It is unclear how the recent devastation to these areas will affect the region's food self-sufficiency.

Estimated Damages

The widespread devastation from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami affected many agricultural and fishery areas in Japan. Most reports acknowledge that Japan's current production and supply shortages, along with rising food safety concerns and possible longer-term radiation threats to its food production, could limit Japan's food exports while possibly increasing its need for food imports in the future. It is still not clear what effect, if any, Japan's current food supply and demand situation will have on world farm commodity markets and food prices.

Potential Production Losses

Japan's assessment of the damages to the fisheries, agriculture, and forestry sectors from the March 2011 earthquake is currently estimated at $21.5 billion. Of this estimated total, $11.0 billion is attributed to losses in Japan's fisheries sector, along with $9.1 billion in damages to agricultural lands and crops, and another $1.4 billion in damages to forested lands and facilities.

Damages to agricultural crops, land, and facilities have been reported in several prefectures, including Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata, and Mie, among others ( Figure 1 ). Damages to the agriculture sector cover nearly 4,700 farmland areas and about 16,400 food facilities.

Among fisheries, "catastrophic damages" to fish vessels and harbor facilities have been reported in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures; other damages to fishing vessels and harbor facilities were also reported in Hokkaido, Aomori, Ibaraki, Chiba, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Wakayama, Tokushima, Kochi, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa prefectures, and in Tokyo Metropolitan. Damages to aquaculture facilities were reported in Toyama, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, and Tottori prefectures. Damages to the fisheries sector cover damage to more than 20,700 fishing vessels and 319 fishery harbor facilities.

A compilation by USDA of cropland production statistics in the five coastal prefectures—Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki—indicates the importance of these prefectures to Japan's agricultural sector ( Table 2 ). USDA's summary, using 2007 production data, shows that these five prefectures account for about one-fifth of Japan's total marine fisheries and aquaculture production by volume, and 17% of all agricultural output by volume. These areas also account for similar shares of the nation's rice, soybeans, vegetables, and livestock production, and also house 19% of Japan's hog production, about one-tenth of all cattle and dairy herds, and about one-fifth of its poultry flocks.

Another report by the Netherlands-based Rabobank estimates the potential impact on some major food sectors, covering meat, dairy, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and grains and rice. The report states that the earthquake had no immediate effect on rice supply, given high year-end stocks; however, it noted possible concerns about soil contamination and its effect on future planting. The report notes that most of Japan's grain processing mills and soy-crushing plants are located outside the damage zone; other reports confirm that many of these facilities may remain operational. However, power shortages may temporarily affect processing operations. About 15% of Japan's compound feed industry capacity is estimated to have been damaged. The report notes that a significant portion of Japan's meat, poultry, and dairy production is located in northern coastal prefectures, and states that power shortages may have damaged supplies that were in cold storage. The report also notes widespread damage in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, including damage to fishing ports and vessels, and to wild seedbeds for key products such as scallops and oysters. Also, seawater contamination is eroding consumer confidence in the country's fresh seafood catch. In addition to damage to vegetable farms and orchards in the coastal prefectures, the report notes growing concerns about radioactive contamination in locally produced vegetables and fruits.

Despite the current situation in Japan, food imports for consumption or for further processing have not stopped and many in-country food facilities continue to operate throughout the country.

Potential Radioactive Contamination

The Japanese government has been monitoring possible radioactive contamination of plant and animal products and tap water in some of the coastal prefectures as well as southern prefectures near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. Testing has been conducted nearly daily since March 19, 2011, to detect possible radioactive contaminants on a wide range of plant and animal products, including fish. Testing for radioactive contaminants in foods is ongoing and spans many adjacent prefectures. Among the types of foods tested are spinach, lettuce, leeks, cabbage, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, chives, broccoli, turnips, asparagus, eggplant, parsley, zucchini, celery, cabbage, melons, shitake, wasabi, garland chrysanthemum and other locally grown produce, rapeseed, raw and pasteurized milk, poultry eggs, pork, sea cucumbers, blue mackerel, squid, flounder, and sardines.

The Japanese government has taken action to restrict the distribution of potentially contaminated foods. Starting in late March 2011, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare made a series of announcements restricting the distribution and consumption of foods produced in certain prefectures, including "non-head type leafy vegetables and head type leafy vegetables" (such as spinach, komatsuna, cabbages) and any "flowerhead brassicas" (broccoli, cauliflower), and restrictions on spinach and kakina (a leafy vegetable), fresh raw milk, certain shitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots and ostrich fern. Many of these restrictions were later lifted. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) further reports that radiation levels in meat and hen eggs (among other livestock products, including raw milk) and also floriculture products are within established safety levels. Some press reports, however, indicate that livestock have been culled in the immediate area around the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Initially, the ministry noted that "in Fukushima Prefecture, there is no capability for coastal fishing in the sea area of the prefecture ... due to damage of the coast by the earthquake." Japan's Fisheries Agency stated that "fishery activities will not be resumed for a while in the sea area of Fukushima prefecture." In early April, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare made additional announcements regarding possible contaminated fish products; also, there were news reports that fisheries in some prefectures had ceased operations after contaminated fish were detected south of the Fukushima nuclear plant. By late April, the ministry had placed restrictions on the distribution and consumption of juvenile sand lance (a marine fish of the family Ammodytidae) harvested at Fukushima prefecture.

The situation is ongoing, and updates on the safety of Japan's agricultural and fishery products are posted on a regular basis. For updated information, see the ministry's website at http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/index.html . This website also posts ongoing announcements and updates on radiation concerns regarding Japan's tap water supplies, primarily in the Fukushima and Chiba prefectures.

Various news reports have noted the potential for radioactive contamination to affect several Japanese food production markets, including those for its fish and seafood, as well as global sushi markets; and Japan's milk and dairy foods; produce; and beer, spirits, and bottled water.

Possible Global Implications

Reports about possible radioactive contamination of food produced near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant have raised fears about the safety of Japan's food production, as well as concerns that radiation might reach the United States or U.S. territories in the Pacific. Many countries, including the United States, have instituted controls or banned Japanese food products from entering their countries.

As previously noted, Japan has been an important trading partner with the United States, particularly for U.S. exports. In 2010, the value of U.S. food exports to Japan totaled $14.1 billion, making Japan our fourth-largest agricultural export market.

However, Japan accounts for a relatively small portion of the total U.S. market. The value of Japanese food exports to the United States totaled $0.7 billion, less than 1% of the value of U.S. food imports. The majority of imports (75% of the value in 2010) consisted of fish and Japanese prepared foods. Fresh seafood and also prepared fish and meat products accounted for about one-third of total imports from Japan. These imports account for less than 2% of the seafood consumed in the United States. Other leading imported products are prepared grain-based foods, including baked goods and pastas (12%), and beverages, including rice wine and sake (7%). Another leading import category is Japanese food preparations "not elsewhere specified" in the U.S. import codes, accounting for almost 20% of imports.

Effects on U.S. Food Supplies

To date, based on current available data, agencies in the United States claim that the situation in Japan does not pose a risk to U.S. food supplies. Similarly, international health organizations claim there is no evidence that radiation in Japan has contaminated food produced in any other country.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) further states that, based on current testing information, it does "not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories in the Pacific." Also, the NRC "does not expect that residents of the United States or its territories are at any risk of exposure to harmful levels of radiation resulting from the events in Japan." In addition to the NRC, other U.S. agencies are monitoring and assessing radiation released from the Japanese plants, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

EPA is continuously monitoring the nation's air in all states and most territories, and is also regularly monitoring drinking water, milk, and precipitation at these sites for environmental radiation using its nationwide radiation monitoring system, RadNet. EPA's daily sampling data are posted at its website: http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/data-updates.html . To date, EPA's sampling of drinking water, precipitation, and milk, and its air monitoring, have consistently detected only "low levels of radioactive material below levels of public-health concern." On March 30, 2011, EPA and FDA issued a joint statement:

Results from a screening sample taken March 25 from Spokane, WA detected 0.8 pCi/L of iodine-131, which is more than 5,000 times lower than the Derived Intervention Level set by FDA. These types of findings are to be expected in the coming days and are far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children. Iodine-131 has a very short half-life of approximately eight days, and the level detected in milk and milk products is therefore expected to drop relatively quickly.

Again, on May 3, EPA stated: "all of the radiation levels detected by RadNet monitors and sampling have been very low, are well below any level of public health concern, and continue to decrease over time."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have posted information to address consumer concerns about iodine-131 detected in milk and in surface water supplies.

Reports by some West Coast states, including California and Washington, also downplay potential risks based on ongoing radiologic monitoring in these states. The California Department of Public Health reports that "all data from state and federal sources show that harmful radiation won't reach California." These findings underlie claims by industry representatives of the Western Growers and Produce Marketing Association that there is no threat to California's produce industry. Washington State Department of Health officials also claim they "aren't seeing significant levels of radioactivity in our state, and there's no health risk."

Regarding fish and seafood, FDA, EPA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a joint statement claiming these three agencies "have high confidence in the safety of seafood products in the U.S. marketplace or exported U.S. seafood products … The only Japanese fish with levels of radiation exceeding standards is the Japanese sand lance, which does not migrate away from the Japanese coast."

The joint statement further highlighted that, "[t]o date, no significantly elevated radiation levels have been detected in migratory species," such as the juvenile North Pacific albacore tuna and the North American Pacific salmon. These agencies also reported "only one seafood species, the Japanese sand lance, with levels of radiation exceeding standards." Although FDA has not detected any longer-lived radionuclides in any fish imported from Japan, it is continuing to monitor fish caught in Japan's prefectures surrounding the damaged nuclear power plant. About 2% of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported from Japan.

Trade Considerations

International Activities

Following the initial reports about possible radioactive contamination of foods, many countries increased their surveillance of food imports from Japan. In addition to the United States, others with heightened import surveillance measures include the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, as well as most Asian nations, such as China and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, among others. Import restrictions vary by country but broadly cover milk and milk products, vegetables and fruit, and seafood and meat from those prefectures with a perceived risk of contamination, specifically Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma.

Several international organizations are monitoring concerns about the safety of food produced in Japan. These include the various organizations of the United Nations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), and also the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These organizations help oversee the rules for radioactivity in foods for international trade, as agreed to within the Codex "Guideline Levels" (GLs) for radionuclide levels in internationally traded food following a nuclear or radiological emergency. Other joint U.N. activities include "international guidance related to nuclear preparedness and response to nuclear or radiological events, including application of appropriate agricultural countermeasures."

These international organizations acknowledge that recent reports of radioactivity in food in Japan suggest that "some foods produced in Japan are likely to be contaminated by radioactive material at levels unsuitable for human consumption." The primary contaminant detected in some food samples include radioactive iodine; however, radioactive cesium has also been detected in some foods. Radioactive iodine is relatively short-lived with a half-life of about one week and decays naturally within a few weeks. However, if ingested and accumulated in the body, radioactive iodine has been associated with certain types of cancers. Radioactive cesium is longer-lived and can remain in the environment for a long time; also, because radioactive cesium can be relatively quickly transferred from feed to milk, its uptake into food production can pose longer-terms risks and public health effects.

U.S. Activities

In the United States, food imports are regulated by FDA, which monitors the safety of most types of food imports, and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which regulates the safety of meat and poultry imports. In addition, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for protecting plant and animal resources from domestic and foreign pests and diseases, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for coordinating agencies' food security activities, including border inspections by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Following reports about radioactive contamination of milk and leafy greens, FDA issued "Import Alert 99-33" for milk, vegetables, and certain fish species (sand lance) produced or manufactured in selected Japanese prefectures. This import alert has been modified several times; for the most recent version see FDA's website: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_621.html .

FDA's Import Alert 99-33 establishes an order for "detention without physical examination" (DWPE) for specified products from specified prefectures. Accordingly, FDA's import alert detains all shipments of items subject to the alert, and places the burden upon the importer to demonstrate, through testing, that a given shipment is "not violative" and may be imported. For additional information about DWPE and FDA's authority, see the text box below.

As of May 17, 2011, FDA's Import Alert 99-33 has reduced the area of concern to three prefectures: Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Tochigi. It applies to food products from Japan in four categories:

Category 1 . Products that the government of Japan has restricted for sale or export will be prevented from entering the United States. These products cannot gain entry by providing sample results. As of May 17, 2011, these include (1) spinach, lettuce, celery, cress, endive, escarole, chard, collards, and other head-type leafy vegetables from the Fukushima prefecture; (2) turnips and other non-head type leafy vegetables, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, flower head brassicas (i.e., broccoli and cauliflower), mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and Ostrich fern from the Fukushima prefecture; (3) sand lance from the Fukushima prefecture; (4) milk from the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures; (5) spinach and kakina from the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures. Category 2 . Products from the Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Tochigi prefectures that the government of Japan has not currently banned for sale or export. These include dairy products and fresh produce. Under Import Alert 99-33, authorities may detain these products when they arrive in the United States. Authorities will release these products from detention if the importer can show the products are compliant. Category 3 . Food and feed products not covered by FDA's Import Alert 99-33 that come from these three Japanese prefectures: Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Tochigi. FDA will examine these products, and conduct sampling and testing as needed, to determine if they are safe to enter the United States. Category 4 . All other FDA-regulated food products from Japan that are not listed in Import Alert 99-33 and do not belong to one of the other categories. Authorities will review these products using standard procedures, and as part of this may monitor and sample products as resources permit.

It is unclear how the recent series of cancellations of "instruction to restrict distribution" and/or "consumption" by the government of Japan influences the import alert, particularly for Category 1 products.

Given historically low import inspection rates of food by FDA, some groups want FDA to issue an import alert for all food and seafood imported from Japan.

Regarding meat and poultry products, USDA points out that because of USDA's import equivalency requirements and other trade-related concerns, Japan has not exported any beef products to the United States since early 2010, and Japan is not currently eligible to export any poultry products or processed egg products to the United States.

Some in Congress remain concerned that contaminated foods might enter the United States through its food imports. Both FDA and USDA have taken steps to address the current situation in Japan. FDA has stated: "FDA's screening at U.S. borders will remain vigilant and will be augmented with radiation screening of shipments" and its import tracking system "has been programmed to automatically flag all shipments of FDA-regulated products from Japan." USDA has stated that "USDA and its federal partners through the Food Emergency Response Network are preparing to begin sampling, if necessary." Prior notification to FDA of food imports into the United States is required under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 ( P.L. 107-188 ; 42 U.S.C. 300i), which allows the agency to readily identify and track food shipments from Japan.

Enhanced import security measures by FDA and USDA, in conjunction with existing CBP border inspections, are intended to address concerns about possible contaminated food imports from Japan. As noted by USDA, CBP is "responsible for monitoring for the presence of radiological materials in cargo shipments coming into the United States at all U.S. ports of entry. This monitoring is a regular part of inspection procedures carried out at every port of entry nationwide;" FDA also notes that CBP officers "routinely use radiation detection equipment to screen food imports, cargo, and travelers."

Finally, existing U.S. trade laws, such as general requirements under the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1304), require all imported articles to be marked with the English name of the country of origin. Other labeling requirements also apply under other laws that govern both FDA and USDA. For example, FDA requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq. ) require that a food label must contain specified information. However, as noted by FDA: "The law does not specifically require that the country of origin statement be placed on the PDP [the principal display panel, PDP, or the label panel], but requires that it be conspicuous." Certain labeling requirements for meat and poultry products are also required within laws administered by FSIS, including the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.). Only plants in countries certified by USDA to have inspection systems equivalent to those in this country are eligible to export products to the United States. Regulations issued under these laws have required that country of origin appear in English on immediate containers of all meat and poultry products entering the United States. Other USDA-administered programs also provide for additional country-of-origin requirements for certain types of foods.