Aisles snaking between the various shops and counters lead to bountiful displays of cakes, shiny unblemished fruits, packages of pickled vegetables and marbled cuts of marbled wagyu beef.

BBC: The depachika of Tokyo

The chef tours the island cultivating purveyors for the exceptional ingredients (organic vegetables, artisanal cheeses, native pork and beef, spectacular seafood) that turn up in all his dishes.

FORBES: Off the Beaten Track

Only on beef - because of the BSE crisis - and certain other fruit and vegetables must the country of origin be labelled.

BBC: Last Updated: Friday, 4 March 2005, 17:15 GMT

That is because unlike ground beef, which is cooked at a temperatures which destroy bugs, fruit and leafy vegetables tend to be eaten raw.

ECONOMIST: Tech.view

Although that is a greater number than the 2.1 million illnesses caused by contaminated beef, pork, poultry and other meat, the pathogens found on meat are generally more deadly than those found on vegetables, according to the report.

WSJ: Vegetables Are the Main Cause of Food-Borne Illness, CDC Study Finds