The near-meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March and the subsequent release of radioactive materials in Japan has led researchers to study its lingering impact on farming.

Prompted by growing public concern over the consumption of meat and vegetables from Japan, studies were conducted to find the levels of radioactive material present in Japanese farmland.

Despite an earlier study stating that Japanese harvests had acceptable levels of radiation, a recent study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests otherwise, according to the BBC.

In the study "Cesium-137 Deposition and Contamination of Japanese Soils Due to the Fukushima Nuclear Accident," Teppei Yasunari and his fellow researchers highlighted areas in and around Fukushima contaminated with the radioactive material cesium-137 in levels exceeding the Japanese Food Sanitation Law. Cesium-137, which can remain in soil for around 30 years, was the main source of radiation during the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

The researchers revealed that the areas at the highest risk are northern and eastern regions of Japan. Fortunately, the western region and most of the other areas in Japan remain safe and have radiation levels well below the contamination limit.

These findings come on top of a string of disastrous events affecting Japanese farming. Just last July, highly radioactive meat from Fukushima prefecture led to beef shipments from the area being banned by the Japanese government. According to an official statement, Fukushima beef from eleven cows had cesium-137 that was more than six times above the legal limit of 500 becquerel.

Later on, more than 600 beef cattle, mostly from Fukushima, were found to be contaminated as well. It was discovered that the cesium-137 came from the radioactive hay that the cows consumed, according to Discovery News. Other agricultural products that were found to have radioactive materials included vegetables, fish, milk and tea.