Japan to inspect stored U.S. beef for mad cow risk
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will inspect about 910 tons of U.S. beef that has been stored in Japanese warehouses for more than eight months because of worries about mad cow disease, and will allow it to be sold if it meets Japan's safety requirements
Inspections will begin on Friday and will take about a month, a Health Ministry official said on Wednesday.
The ministry will ask importers of the product to open all the boxes containing the beef to see if they include banned material or meat from old cattle, he said.
The farm and health ministries will also conduct inspections of the beef separately for any violations of safety requirements, he added.
