California seafood is tainted from Fukushima disaster, says chef — Anything from San Diego to Alaska removed — “It’s easy for people to be convinced there’s no harm now, that’s part of problem”

Robert Perez has been a chef for more than three decades, but it was the nuclear disaster in Japan that changed the way he cooks. [...] Even though scientists have said that the radiation in the ocean is now low, Perez isn’t buying it. [...] all seafood from the San Diego border to Alaska [are off the menu at Seagrass] [...] Scientist think avoiding the seafood is overboard and have said the levels of radiation in fish are less than what people are exposed to from x-rays. Perez said he has to be able to stand behind what he serves, even if people think it’s extreme.

Chef Perez: “The way things are heading, we just feel strongly that it is not safe, and I’m not going to consume the fish and I’m definitely not going to provide it to my guests. I just can’t do that with a clear conscience [...] Alpine, New Zealand salmon [...] It comes from glacier water. [...] It’s easy for people to be convinced that there’s no harm right now, and that’s part of the problem [...] That’s just part of who we are. And I cook because I want to please people. And I want people to be healthy with my food. I want them to feel good physically and spiritually. So that’s my intent, that’s the intent I put out there. So if I have a product that I feel uncomfortable with, and I don’t care if it’s an onion or a piece of meat or a piece of fish, it’s all the same. It has to be something that I can stand behind and say, ‘Please try this.’”
Watch the broadcast here