Kathryn Armstrong
BBC News
British luxury retailer Harrods has begun selling peaches from Japan’s Fukushima region as part of efforts to restore trust in produce grown there following 2011’s nuclear disaster.
The sale of the fruit at Harrods for £80 ($104) per box of three marks the first time peaches from Fukushima have been available in a European store.
The meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s reactors after a devastating tsunami caused a radiation leak that is still being dealt with to this day.
Since 2011, farms in the region – which is the second-largest producer of peaches in Japan – have struggled to sell their produce because of contamination fears.
The peaches’ sale at Harrods is part of efforts by the power plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), to restore the region’s reputation internationally.
It comes two years after the UK lifted its last import restrictions on Fukushima food products and following trial sales at cultural events.
Harrods is due to also begin selling a variety of grape called the Shine Muscat from the region in October.
Tepco has also staged similar campaigns in countries including the US and Thailand.
All farm and fishery produce exported from the area now has to undergo radiation testing.
However, anxiety about the lasting effects of radiation in Fukushima remains.
The Japanese government’s announcement last year that it would release treated waste water from the nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean proved highly controversial, despite having the backing of a United Nations nuclear watchdog.
China, which was the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, responded by blocking imports. Russia also suspended imports, accusing Tokyo of not being transparent in its plans to release the treated water.
The US military in Japan later began bulk buying the seafood.
Fukushima: Japan PM eats fish from region after waste water row
Meanwhile, efforts to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi power plant are continuing.
An operation to remove a small amount of radioactive debris was restarted on Tuesday. It will be used to try to assess the conditions inside the nuclear reactors.
The first trial to remove debris was suspended last month because problems arose with the equipment.
It is the first time that efforts to remove material have been made in the 13 years since the disaster.
The levels of radiation inside the reactors are so high that specialised robots have had to be built to withstand the conditions.
