Moscow, March 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia has suspended food imports from six Japanese prefectures following fears of massive radioactive contamination from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, a consumer rights service said Thursday.

The Fukushima power plant's four nuclear reactors were affected by the March 11 earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

The Russian suspension of food imports from Japan came after radioactive idodine was found way beyond acceptable levels in food and water in the six prefectures around Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The Russian federal service for consumer rights protection said it "has considered information from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) of exceeding permissible level of iodine-131 and cesium in food and Japan's imposition of a ban on internal turnover of some food products and suspended turnover of food produced in prefectures of Gunma, Fukushima, Chiba, Ibaraki, Nagano and Tochigi after March 11, 2011, and their import to the Russian Federation".

The US has also banned imports of food from the prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.