A government panel approved Thursday a proposal for far stricter limits on radioactive cesium found in food, paving the way for the health ministry to enforce the new limits in April.

The Radiation Council under the science ministry said that to provide a generous safety margin, the new limits are based on the false assumption that most food products are contaminated with cesium following the explosions last March at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The panel also said food with cesium levels slightly above the new limits would have little effect on human health.