Dow Jones | November 16, 1999
TOKYO - The Nihon Keizai Shimbun was cited as reporting in its Wednesday morning edition that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will exempt from responsibility food processors that accidentally use more genetically modified ingredients in a product than the label shows, and that a special clause to that effect will be made part of rules governing the labeling of GM food ingredients, based on the Japanese Agricultural Standards law.
The story adds that a company will escape responsibility only if it can prove it usually separates GM and non-GM ingredients.
The ministry plans to introduce the regulation by March 2002.
Behind the ministry's decision is the difficulty companies face in distinguishing genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops from their non-modified counterparts.
A ministry official was quoted as saying that, "It is inevitable that a certain amount of modified food gets mingled with non-modified types," because most GM crops are imported from the U.S. and other countries and move through long distribution channels to food processors in Japan and abroad.
Food processors will be asked to list GM ingredients on the packages of 27 food items such as tofu and miso. If the information provided on the label is incorrect, they will be ordered to improve their operations or be fined.
The story adds that a survey conducted by The Nihon Keizai Shimbun found that more than 20% of Japan's major food processors already sell or plan to sell food products that contain no genetically modified ingredients.
