The Yomiuri Shimbun is reporting that tea farmers in Kanagawa Prefecture, 300 km from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are facing conflicting views from different government ministries after after fresh tea leaves were found to have exceeded government limits for radioactive cesium.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry wants to restrict tea leaves from leaving the prefecture while the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, says that drinking tea made from the leaves would be safe because the radioactive material would be diluted

“The radiation safety limit for tea leaves is 500 becquerels per kilogram, the same as for vegetables, while the limit for tea drinks is 200 becquerels per kilogram, the same as for drinking water,” Yomiuri Shimbun reported. “There have been no reports of drinks exceeding the 200-becquerel limit made from radiation-contaminated tea leaves. But fresh tea leaves harvested May 9-12 in six municipalities in the prefecture were found to have been contaminated with more than 500 becquerels of radioactive material. Radiation levels for dried tea leaves that have been minimally processed (ara cha) are said to be five times higher than in just-harvested leaves. Dried tea leaves originally harvested in Minami-Ashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture, were found to contain 3,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium.”

The Health Mnistry has since ordered further tests to be conducted because.

“Even though [radioactive materials] are diluted when the tea is consumed, would consumers feel safe with tea leaves containing several thousand becquerels of radiation on the market?” an official of the health ministry’s Inspection and Safety Division said. “We need to restrict shipments of tea leaves.” 

But, countered the farm ministry’s Agricultural Production and Marketing Promotion Division, “tea leaves are basically raw materials. It’s not reasonable to impose restrictions when they’re at the leaf stage. The 500-becquerel limit is too strict. Even though tea leaves aren’t supposed to be eaten raw, they’re subject to the same limit as vegetables,” the farm ministry official said. “We don’t have rules on what stage of processing should be restricted. So restricting shipments under these circumstances would only create confusion.”