China's quality watchdog said Monday that it has decided to adjust import restrictions on foodstuffs and farm produce imported from Japan imposed after the nuclear crisis stemming from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The adjustment, which went into effect Monday, loosens import restrictions on food from Japan after the completion of a risk assessment on the radiation contamination status of foodstuff and farm produce processed in areas surrounding the crippled Fukushima plant, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

The ban has been lifted on foodstuffs, farm produce and fodder produced after May 22 in Yamanashi and Yamagata, but the ban remains for 10 Japanese prefectures over radiation contamination concerns, it said.

The adjustment also lifts the requirement of submitting certificates of safety inspection for radioactive materials for foodstuffs, farm produce and fodder imported from Japan, it added.

However, the lift does not include vegetables, dairy products, aquatic products, tea leaves, fruits and plant-made pharmaceuticals. All food imported from Japan should attach official certificates of origin, it noted.

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2011)