Peaches from Japan’s Fukushima region sold at Harrods

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Peaches from Fukushima can now be bought at London’s luxury department store Harrods in a Japanese push to ease fears about produce grown in the region hit by nuclear disaster.

A box of three large, juicy white peaches costs 80 pounds ($100) — the first time the fruit is available at a shop in Europe, after sales at temporary events.

Before the 2011 atomic meltdown, Fukushima prided itself as a “fruit kingdom,” famous in Japan for its delicious offerings, including peaches, grapes, pears and cherries.

But after an earthquake-triggered tsunami unleashed the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, consumers feared eating them could harm their health and sales plunged.

Although the areas surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power station were evacuated over radiation fears, farms in the rest of the region were not contaminated.

And before being sent to stores, all farm and fishery products from the northeastern Japanese prefecture now undergoes strict radiation inspection.

Harrods began selling the peaches on Saturday, part of a reputation-building initiative by Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima plant.