Starting in April, Fukushima Prefecture will introduce easy to use radiation detectors for food produce at municipalities so that residents will no longer have to cut up items into small pieces to check cesium levels.
Currently, residents can test for cesium in home-grown vegetables and edible wild plants at community centers. But those detectors require cutting up 500 grams of food into small chunks, and it takes about 30 minutes to get the results.
With the new detectors, there is no need for slicing and dicing and residents can obtain the radiation readings quicker, according to prefectural officials.