Should I be worried about radioactivity in matcha?

Several readers have asked: “Should I be worried about potential radioactivity in my matcha? Where is the place furthest from the nuclear meltdown in Japan where matcha is grown?" Etc.

Most matcha in Japan is grown very far west of Fukushima, where the 2011 disaster occurred. But for those still worried about radiation in matcha, read on:

What we know about radioactivity and the irradiation of Japanese tea leaves:

On March 11, 2011, a nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, triggered by a tsunami. This resulted in three core meltdowns and the release of radioactive material. Since then, the Japanese government has been regularly testing tea varieties.

In the first year after the disaster, high radiation levels were measured in prefectures near Fukushima. According to the Green Tea Guide, these included Fukushima, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokyo, and Kanagawa. No radiation was detected in teas from the western Japanese regions of Uji, Kyoto, Osaka, and the island of Kyushu. This includes the prefectures of Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, and Yame.

By August 31, 2014, no high radiation levels for tea were found in any prefecture. That says a lot, because Japan's radiation limits are much stricter than in the rest of the world (Japan: 100 Bq, EU: 500 Bq, USA: 1200 Bq - Bq = Becquerel, a unit of measurement for radiation).

Conclusion: As a general rule, the further away you are from the Fukushima region, the safer you can be that the matcha is not radioactive. Fortunately, we grow our matcha in Kyoto, which is far west of Fukushima. In addition, at MatchaLand we test every harvest for radioactivity and we have never had a harvest that did not pass our tests. 😊