Intimacy, Techno-Intimacy, and Food Safety after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that precipitated the nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Contamination of the food supply became an issue of immediate concern after the accident. Beyond the initial period of crisis, reported testing data for Fukushima-grown products has shown the vast majority to register below the enacted safety standards or with undetectable levels of radiation, yet food producers have faced difficulties reassuring consumers about the status of their products. In this presentation, I explore the work of intimacy as a key component of the efforts to communicate test results with consumers. I analyze a database with test results for Fukushima-grown products and suggest that emerging forms of techno-intimacy are at play that emphasizes a connection with a body of data.