Supermarkets to 'play safe' on Japanese food items

Saying it needs to play safe, a group of supermarkets may temporarily halt replenishing its stocks of Japanese food items amid fears of radiation from a quake-crippled nuclear power plant there. The Philippine Association of Supermarkets, Inc. said it will wait for the Department of Health to issue an advisory that such products are safe, radio dzBB reported. The dzBB report quoted PASI secretary general Federico Ples as saying the affected items include fruits, noodles and canned goods. However, Ples assured the public that the items already on their members’ store shelves are safe as they were procured before the March 11 quake. Earlier, Science Secretary Mario Montejo downplayed the chances of radiation from Japan reaching the Philippines. Montejo also insisted there is no need to scan incoming agriculture and fishery products from Japan, at least for now. — LBG, GMA News