Salt shelves at stores empty amid Fukushima water fears

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Salt shelves at stores empty amid Fukushima water fears

Published: 19 Jun. 2023, 18:32 Updated: 19 Jun. 2023, 19:12

The salt section remains empty on a shelf in a Nonghyup Hanaro Mart in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Monday. [SEO JI-EUN]

Japan's imminent discharge of treated radioactive wastewater has prompted panic-buying in Korea of different kinds of salt, leading to a scarcity on store shelves.

At Nonghyup Hanaro Mart's branch in Mapo District, western Seoul, the salt shelves were devoid of stock, except for a few remaining products like seasoned salt and roasted sea salt. Instead of displaying prices, signs proclaiming 'sold out' left eager shoppers disappointed, gazing at the vacant spaces where sun-dried salt — especially popular as it is used for kimchi and jeotgal (fermented fish) — should have been.

“Oh my, the salt frenzy was true,” a middle-aged woman groaned with disappointment as she maneuvered her cart toward the barren shelves.

"It all started last week when people began rushing to buy salt,” a mart employee said. “Our last shipment arrived on Friday, and within a single day, it was completely sold out.”

Even though the available salt still had some seawater in the package, people eagerly snatched it up, according to the employee.

“The smallest quantity someone purchased was three 20 kilograms [44 pounds] salt cartons, and it wasn't even a restaurant owner but a housewife,” she recalled. “Seeing everyone around me worrying and buying salt, I couldn't help but think, 'Should I buy some too?' So, I managed to grab just one carton for myself."

The hoarding of "clean" salt is motivated by fears that the release of wastewater from Fukushima could contaminate domestically produced salt from regions like Sinan County in South Jeolla, which accounts for over 80 percent of Korea's sun-dried salt production. Sun-dried salt is obtained from evaporated seawater.

The situation was no different in other locations. On Friday alone, the Hanaro Mart's Mapo branch sold 180 cartons of 20-kilogram salt, while the Sajik branch sold 250 cartons of the same size, according to the employee.

Emart observed a significant surge in salt sales during the period from June 1 to 18, with a growth rate of 89.6 percent compared to the same period last year. The sales of sun-dried salt also experienced an increase of 165.7 percent.

Lotte Mart also witnessed a 70 percent increase in salt sales during the same period. In response to the overwhelming demand, Lotte Mart implemented a purchase restriction of one unit per person for sun-dried salt products starting on Monday.

"We recognize the current surge in salt demand and are facing challenges in ensuring an adequate supply, especially after the weekend when several stores are experiencing shortages," a spokesperson from Lotte Mart told The Korea JoongAng Daily on Monday.

As the demand for salt continues to rise, prices have also witnessed a significant surge. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the retail price of five kilograms of coarse salt reached 13,094 won ($10.21) as of Monday, marking a 17 percent increase compared to the previous year and a 64.9 percent higher than the average price.

Despite the difficulty in obtaining salt, the government refutes claims of "hoarding."

“The recent scarcity of sun-dried salt and price increases are primarily due to reduced production caused by adverse weather conditions in April and May,” said Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Song Sang-keun. He emphasized that based on local confirmation in Sinan County, the production volume in June has already exceeded 20,000 tons as of last Friday.

“There is no scientific basis to the unfounded rumors that salt will be contaminated when the nuclear plant's contaminated water is released,” Song added. "Our sun-dried salt is currently safe and will remain safe in the future."

As concerns mount over the imminent release of wastewater from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, the impact is extending to the import of Japanese seafood, resulting in a decline.

Based on the trade statistics released by the Korea Customs Service on Monday, the volume of Korean imports of Japanese fish and shellfish in May amounted to 2,129 tons, marking a 30.6 percent decrease compared to the same month last year. Although imports of Japanese seafood had shown an upward trend from January to March this year, there was a 26 percent decrease in April compared to the corresponding period last year. This downward trend persisted for two consecutive months until May.

In response to consumer concerns, the retail industry is taking measures to address the situation.

Lotte Department Store announced Monday that it will deploy measurement devices capable of assessing the radiation exposure level of seafood products at all its stores nationwide starting from July. Additionally, any items identified as requiring additional safety inspections during this process will be sent to the Lotte R&D Center for detailed examination.

Shinsegae Department Store is considering diversifying its sources of seafood imports to more distant locations such as the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea as a precautionary measure in anticipation of the release of contaminated water.

In terms of domestically sourced seafood, the strategy involves closely monitoring the migration routes of each species and procuring only those with minimal radiation risks.

Emart is conducting preliminary radiation inspections using portable devices at its logistics centers, followed by additional detailed inspections using advanced equipment at its product safety center on the following day.

They have implemented a four-level radiation safety management system, categorized as normal, caution, warning and serious. The plan is to expand the scope of sample inspections at each level. Currently, under normal conditions, approximately 25 percent of all species are inspected as samples. However, they are considering increasing the number of inspections by elevating the response level from normal to a higher tier within this month.

The Japanese government intends to release treated water from the Fukushima plant into the ocean this summer, under the guidance of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]