The Agriculture Ministry is considering mandatory origin labeling at restaurants selling pollack and mackerel, responding to fears about radioactivity in Japanese waters.

“The ministry began studying measures to enforce origin labeling to help customers filter out Japanese imports,” said a spokesman at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

“We have been promoting honest origin labeling at eateries, but more consumers have been complaining about having to eat seafood without knowing where it is from,” he said.

A recent inspection by an investigative arm of the ministry said 1,030 metric tons of Japanese seafood imports shipped in April onward contained varying amounts of cesium. Mackerel, fresh pollack and fresh bluefin tuna from Japan contained radioactive levels as high as 6.11 Becquerels per kilogram ― still well below safety limits.

The ministry’s origin labeling is currently only enforced for flatfish, red sea bream, octopus, mudfish and eel. The ministry expects it will be six months to a year before the labeling of mackerel and pollack comes into effect, should it decide to push the bill.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)