On July 8, radioactive cesium in excess of the provisional government limit was detected in beef from a cow shipped from Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, to a Tokyo slaughterhouse. Later beef from 10 other cows from the city was found to have been contaminated with such cesium.
As of Monday, at least 2,600 cows suspected of having been fed with rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium were found to have been shipped from Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and more than 10 prefectures to all of Japan, except Okinawa.
Their number may increase. The spread of cows suspected of contamination with radioactive cesium from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has caused worries to consumers. Many consumers have stopped buying Japanese beef and prices are crumbling.