Prime Minister Naoto Kan instructed Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato on Wednesday to tell local people not to eat certain leafy vegetables, including spinach, cabbage and broccoli harvested from Fukushima Prefecture, after finding radioactive materials well beyond the legal limit.

In addition, shipments of milk and parsley from Ibaraki Prefecture as well as vegetables from Fukushima were also suspended.

But government officials once again stressed there were no immediate health risks and the orders were given as "precautionary" measures.