Photos from Yahoo China.

An epidemic of panic buying hit supermarkets and stores across China beginning yesterday as shoppers laid their hands on any salt they could find under the false assumption that the ubiquitous food seasoning offers protection against radiation exposure.

Multiple branches of the supermarket chain Carrefour in Beijing and Shanghai told CNN that their salt supplies have been effectively cleared out as of this morning.

To allay fears, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has released a chart on its Web site which shows radiation levels in 41 Chinese cities to be normal.

Potassium iodide tablets have also been snapped up at pharmacies, despite the explicit warning that such pills should not be consumed unless the government recommends it.

In a mass text message sent out today, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce assured local residents that the city has enough stockpiles of salt, and that panic buying should be avoided.

Certain businesses though are enjoying their moment of a lifetime. Bloomberg reports that Yunnan Salt skyrocketed jumped from 1.37 13.7 yuan to 15.10 as of the midday trading break in Shenzhen.

UPDATE: Salt, salt, and more salt moves from the warehouses to the stores.

Previously on Shanghaiist

Seriously sinister salt in Shanghai



