2023-08-25 04:18:56
Japan’s nuclear sewage was discharged into the sea, and some mid-to-high-end Japanese grocery stores in Shanghai were “earthquake”. (The Paper)
Japan yesterday launched the discharge of nuclear sewage from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea. The nuclear sewage flows to the Pacific Ocean through a 1-kilometer undersea tunnel. The General Administration of Customs of China immediately announced that the import of aquatic products (including edible aquatic animals) originating in Japan will be completely suspended from August 24, 2023 (inclusive). The Paper interviewed more than a dozen Japanese food stores in Shanghai and some supermarkets and learned that cheap Japanese food stores were not greatly affected by this, while some mid-to-high-end Japanese food stores were hit by an “earthquake”; There are not many Japanese aquatic products.
The Jiangyang Aquatic Products Market in Shanghai, where the wholesale of aquatic products is relatively concentrated, revealed that there are very few aquatic products imported from Japan on the market. An insider in the fishery industry who did not want to be named revealed that since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, many Japanese fishery dealers have gradually faded out.
Many Japanese food stores said to replace ingredients
On August 24, The Paper called 10 Japanese restaurants in Shanghai to ask how to deal with it. It turns out that for most cheap Japanese food stores, the tightening of imported ingredients has little effect. The ones really affected this time are mostly mid-to-high-end Japanese grocery stores with fresh raw fish as their core ingredients.
Many Japanese food stores with per capita consumption of more than 2,000 yuan (RMB, the same below) admit that some ingredients come from Japan. For example, the staff of Sushi Heart and by Fujimoto (Bund store) said that the former suppliers still have some hoards of goods obtained in other regions of Japan before the total ban, and they should still use these goods in the short term, and they will consider them later Purchase from other countries. The staff of Sushi Naoki (Fuxinghui Store) admitted frankly that some ingredients were originally from Japan, and they have not been notified yet, so they don’t know what to do. The staff of the Fu Sushi store also said that there are ingredients that originated in Japan, and the current products sold in the store are all products that previously met the national import standards, and they will consider changing the ingredient supplier in the future.
As for Sushi Tsubaki (Ruihong Tiandi Taiyanggong store) and Wandao Japanese Restaurant Teppanyaki (Jingan store), which cost about 500 yuan per capita, the store staff denied that there were ingredients from Japan.
The staff of Ginza Onodera Sushi (Bund No. 18 store) with a per capita consumption of 1,636 yuan said that before, Chinese customs banned the import of food from ten prefectures (capitals) including Fukushima, Japan, and food from other parts of Japan, especially aquatic products (including Edible aquatic animals) Strictly review the accompanying certification documents, strengthen supervision, and strictly implement 100% inspection. Since then, the store has changed its source of purchases, and no longer supplies aquatic products from Japan. Now it uses aquatic products from Europe and China instead.
Other Japanese food stores at different prices have offered to replace ingredients. On August 24, Suichi (Flagship Store Headquarters), with a per capita consumption of 1,756 yuan, issued an announcement on the adjustment of the origin of ingredients, carefully selecting high-quality ingredients from around the world to ensure that all ingredients meet national food safety standards. All seafood has a clear provenance and can be traced back to where it was caught or farmed to ensure its freshness and quality.
Goldsmiths Sushi (Shiboyuan store), which consumes 120 yuan per capita, also said that all stores have completely removed dishes related to imported aquatic products from Japan. The store staff said that the sea bream and other products in the store were originally from Japan, and the company has been looking for alternatives and changing the menu these days.
The staff of Yizun store, which consumes 1,029 yuan per capita, said that about half of the store’s ingredients came from Japan before, and the restaurant is now looking for alternatives.
Qingshanlan Japanese Cuisine (Qiantan Branch), which consumes 428 yuan per capita, has found alternative origins for some ingredients. The store staff said that many ingredients were imported from Japan in the past, such as sea urchin and tuna, but now the sea urchin is imported from North Korea, and the tuna is imported from Spain.
There are not many Japanese seafood in the retail pipeline
According to the Shanghai Fisheries Industry Association, bluefin tuna, sea urchin, and other shrimp, crab, and shellfish are the most popular and sold Japanese ingredients on Chinese tables, and most of these categories are served in mid-to-high-end Japanese food stores. The Jiangyang Aquatic Products Market in Shanghai, where the wholesale of aquatic products is relatively concentrated, said that there are very few aquatic products imported from Japan on the market.
In terms of online e-commerce, Dingdong Maicai, a local e-commerce platform in Shanghai, said that currently Dingdong does not have any aquatic products related to Japan. The person in charge emphasized: “In terms of other imported products, the imported products on the platform and the products planned to be purchased in the future must be compliant products that are allowed to be imported by the state and have relevant certificates of compliance.”
The Paper consulted RT-Mart, Hema, and some fresh food supermarkets and learned that the most important seafood in supermarkets is salmon and tuna. At present, salmon is mainly imported from Norway and Chile, and basically no imports are from Japan. Bluefin tuna is mainly imported from Japan. From Japan, in view of safety, most supermarkets have suspended the import of Japanese tuna two months ago, so there are basically not many Japanese aquatic products in the retail channels.
An insider in the aquatic industry who did not want to be named said that since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, China has introduced stricter testing standards for food imported from Japan, and the monitoring of radioactive substances in food has been included in the scope of national food safety risk monitoring. Many Japanese aquatic product dealers have gradually faded out. In recent years, there have been even fewer people doing Japanese aquatic product business.
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