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HEADLINE: Few concerns over radiation in Japan food --------------------------------------- CAPTION: With radiation turning up in vegetables, milk and tap water in Japan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will block imports of affected products. (March 23) ---------------------------------------- [LOCATION: Los Angeles, Calif. - March 23, 2011 SOURCE: AP VO: shoppers and products in grocery store] VOICE-OVER In Southern California, Mitsuwa Market is the place to find the special ingredients for a Japanese feast. SOT/Dwaine Yamasaki, Manager, Mitsuwa Market "Most of our inventory that comes from Japan are dry goods and confection items, candies, seaweeds and dried fish." :11 Yamasaki says the FDA's freeze on imports of some Japanese food products could affect his store and his customers' buying habits. Radioactive material has been found in milk, vegetables and chrysanthemum greens near the Fukushima nuclear plant. SOT/Dwaine Yamasaki, Manager, Mitsuwa Market "We don't import those items from Japan so our items here are pretty safe." :08 These veggies are grown right here in California. And Yamasaki says his fish is top grade. SOT/Dwaine Yamasaki, Manager, Mitsuwa Market "We want the freshness of the fish so we get it from local fish companies. So they come from Canada or even Spain. Some of the items we do get come frozen from Japan so for right now it's not going to be a problem. But we don't know later." :17 In the meantime, Yamasaki is having trouble keeping seaweed on the shelves. SOT/Dwaine Yamasaki, Manager, Mitsuwa Market "Y'know, wakame, kombu, dashi kombu. Nori. Condiments and for soups." :08 It's partially because seaweed contains iodine, which protects against the effect of radiation on the thyroid. But also because these specialty products are made in the fishing villages that were wiped out by the tsunami. So customers are stocking up. SOT/Dwaine Yamasaki, Manager, Mitsuwa Market "They are concerned about the shortages of certain products that we do carry that come from the regions that have been heavily damaged." :07 For now, shoppers are letting their tastes dictate their purchases, not worries about radiation in food. SOT/Susan Epstein, Children's photographer "I think there's been a lot of homework done about radiation and I'm not really concerned. I'm not buying iodine tablets." SOT/Hochung Kim, Student "For me, typically I worry about buying sashimi or sushi or raw fish products." Yamasaki says FOR RIGHT NOW radiation is the least of his customers' worries - some are still looking for relatives amid the wreckage back home. Raquel Maria Dillon, The Associated Press, Los Angeles. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/27b318083b99d7e37c41dee235b199b2 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork