The health ministry has issued to municipalities unified radiation testing guidelines effectively requiring regular sample checks on any food item that has a cesium reading of 50 becquerels per kilogram in current or past random inspections.

The nonbinding guidelines take effect next month and cover any food items subject to the random tests through this month that hit or top the cesium limit.

To date there have been no unified guidelines for radiation tests on food products except for those that have exceeded the current cesium ceiling of 500 becquerels per kilogram. Municipalities carried out their own checks on the food items they suspected may be radioactive.