TOKYO -- Ministers promoted the safety of farm products Friday from Fukushima Prefecture and other areas hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami by eating local vegetables to counter rumors about possible radioactive contamination.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto ate curry and rice using Fukushima potatoes and carrots at a Foreign Ministry cafeteria and bought lettuces, turnips and strawberries from Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, while Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshihiro Katayama sampled strawberries and other products.
The government held events Friday to sell farm produce including spinach, cucumbers, asparagus and tomatoes from Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, with some items sold out in the morning.
While eating the curry and rice, Matsumoto said, "We are responsible for disseminating correct information overseas and would like to send a message by using foodstuffs" from the affected areas. About 50 countries have introduced import restrictions on Japanese farm and industrial products.
Katayama told reporters, "It is important to present scientific grounds so as not to cause misunderstanding among consumers."
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At the event held at the Foreign Ministry, farm product sellers asked Matsumoto and other shoppers to support producers by eating a lot of vegetables from the areas affected by rumors stemming from the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
