Salt group discourages hoarding after Fukushima discharge

The supply of salt in Guangdong province is sufficient to meet local market demand according to the Guangdong Salt Group, which made the announcement amid concerns about the salt supply following Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

In an interview with Nanfang Daily, a newspaper based in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, the group suggested on Thursday residents should not be too concerned about the supply of salt, let alone hoard or panic-buy salt as some countries and regions have.

In Guangdong, a coastal province in South China, reserve supplies of salt by local government and corporates reached 108,000 metric tons, entirely covering local market demand across the province.

Since Japan announced the discharge, authorities in Guangdong have conducted investigations on seawater and ecological sea salt in major production areas in the province.

Investigation results after radioactive testing showed the sea salt produced in Guangdong is safe.

Panic-buying in some countries reflects concerns from the public about Japan's discharge, according to Ruan Guangfeng, deputy director of the China Food Information Center.

"There is no need to worry about the supply of salt in China, as the county has abundant resources," Ruan said.

The China Salt Association also suggested people not hoard salt, as the country has strict food safety regulations and domestic salt production to meet demand.