The Ombudsman’s action follows several complaints from citizens suggesting a lack of information concerning the changes made to the maximum levels. Therefore, he has asked the European Commission to provide citizen-friendly information about the maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs in the EU before and after the Fukushima accident in Japan.

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the EU institutions and bodies. Any EU citizen, resident, or an enterprise or association in a Member State, can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman. In this occasion, citizens have complained about lack of information concerning contamination levels.

In March 2011, an earthquake damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, which led to increased radioactive contamination in the surrounding area. As a consequence, the European Commission activated its emergency mechanisms on the basis of legislation that was introduced after the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine in 1986. This legislation includes maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs in case of a future accident, which was applied to food imported from Japan to the EU. However, in April 2011, the Commission then decreased the maximum permitted levels in line with the action levels applied in Japan.

The Commission provided information on its website regarding the relevant legislation leading to the increase and decrease of the maximum permitted levels. Nevertheless, the Ombudsman has received several complaints from citizens suggesting that there is a lack of comparative information about the changes made to the maximum permitted levels after the Fukushima accident. This is the reason why the Ombudsman asked to the Commission for more information.