Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

【Series】 Facing the forests – situations in Europe : Part 7 – Bavaria, Germany (Oct. 24, 2013)

  Yuu Kawasaki 27 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, radioactive cesium exceeding the limits set by the European Union is still detected from wild boars captured in the state of Bavaria, Germany, some 1,500 km west-southwest of the nuclear plant. The EU sets a maximum limit for cesium in game meat of 600 becquerels per kilogram. Germany legally approves game meat trading by individuals, but after the nuclear disaster, it banned under the Atomic Energy Act sales of game meat which exceeds the limit for cesium. It obligated hunters to incinerate such game meat with compensation from the federal and local governments. There are 112 public or … Continue reading

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【News】 Only 27 percent of imported rice purchased in the second bidding of the year (Oct. 24, 2013)

  Only 6,767 tons, or 27 percent of total imported rice amounting to 25,000 tons, were purchased through the second simultaneous buy-and-sell (SBS) orders conducted in fiscal 2013, amid lowering prices of domestically-grown rice, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced Tuesday, October 22. Purchases of rice imported under the minimum access scheme continued to fall short of the expected trading amount, following the first SBS trading conducted this year. It is the first time since fiscal 2010 that purchases of imported rice continue to be less than the expected trading volume. Traders predict that transactions will continue to be sluggish, as prices of domestically-grown rice remain low and … Continue reading

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【News】 Research institute develops technology to turn rice into gel-type substitute of wheat flour (Oct. 23, 2013)

  In an effort to increase consumption of rice, a research institute based in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, developed a technology to create a gel-like material from rice which can be used as a substitute for wheat flour, the institute announced Tuesday, October 22. National Agriculture and Food Research Organization’s National Food Research Institute said it used high amylose rice with high starch content, such as Momiroman, a variety used mainly to produce rice flour or as feed for livestock. It created rice gel by heating rice until it becomes gruel-like, and mixing it at high speed. The rice gel can be used as a substitute for wheat flour to produce … Continue reading

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【Series】 Facing the forests – situations in Europe : Part 6 Scotland (October 23, 2013)

  Keita Takeuchi In early October, when the hunting season begins in Scotland, “trained hunters” who are qualified as game meat inspectors bring in deer day after day to a meat processing plant of Highland Game Ltd., a game meat dealer in Dundee. Each deer has a tag put on its belly to identify when and where it was captured, and the hunter identification number. Highland Game owner and managing director Christian Nissen stresses that the safety of the firm’s game meat is ensured by the trained hunters. Trained hunters are those who have learned such skills as wildlife disease prevention and hygiene control of meat processing and passed the … Continue reading

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【News】 Pre-sowing bids of Japanese-grown wheat for 2014 harvest year remain at 60 percent of total supply due to low demand (Oct. 18, 2013)

  Out of the total supply of 122,270 tons of domestically-grown wheat to be cultivated in the 2014 harvest year, only 74,370 tons were purchased in the first bidding, National Rice Wheat and Barley Improvement Association announced Wednesday, October 16. The ratio of purchase orders to the amount of supply was as low as 0.8, and the ratio of successful bids was 60.8 percent, lower than the previous year, as many buyers, such as flour milling firms, have excessive inventories and were cautious in placing bids. The next bidding will be held on Tuesday, October 29. A total of 28 varieties, one brand less than the previous year, were offered … Continue reading

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