Bangkok (ANTARA News/TNA-OANA) - Thailand`s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday said a low-level of radiation was found in one kilogramme of vegetables carried by a Thai traveller who returned from Japan.

The agency warned Thai travellers not to take fruit or vegetables from Japan with them due to possible radiation risk contamination in fresh produce.

FDA Secretary-General Dr Pipat Yingseri said the agency has monitored radiation contamination in samples of food imported from Japan since March 15 and on Tuesday radioactive contamination was found in one kilogramme of vegetables carried by the passenger.

The contaminated vegetables were confiscated for the safety of consumers although the level of radiation was well below the safe limit, the FDA chief said.

Dr Pipat also urged those returning from Japan not to import any fruits and vegetables during this period as they may be contaminated by radiation.

The FDA chief reported that as of today, 139 samples of food products imported from Japan have passed the radiation contamination screen at the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP), 122 of them were found to be normal.

The agency has upgraded its monitoring of food imports as the radiation crisis there is worsening, Dr Pipat said.

He also asked for cooperation from importers to be more cautious on the import of food from Japan'rs Honshu island, as well as refrain from distributing the products until they receive testing results from the FDA.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011