Japan: Farm ministry to oblige makers to label biotech foods
OTC 14jul99

TOKYO, July 14 (Kyodo) -- The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries plans to oblige food manufacturers to carry special labels on the packages of their products containing genetically engineered ingredients, ministry officials said Wednesday.

The measure will be applied to tofu, snacks, tempura flour and other products designated by the ministry and will include imported foodstuffs, the officials said.
The decision by Japan, a leading food importer, will likely affect the major food-exporting countries of the United States and Canada, which have been involved in a heated dispute with the European Union (EU) over genetically modified farm products.

While U.S. farmers increase their output of crops with altered DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the EU is tightening controls on the modified crops.
Japan's new rules, however, will allow exemptions of products in which modified ingredients are used but have been dissolved or removed during the manufacturing process, the officials said. The products include cooking oil and soy sauce.

Under the new measure, manufacturers will have to clearly indicate foodstuffs whose composition has changed due to genetic engineering. Such products, however, have not yet been distributed in the domestic market, they said.

Also, foods containing an undetermined mix of natural and modified ingredients will have to carry a label saying that the modified ingredients are present but not specified. This applies to foods whose composition has not been altered as a result of genetic engineering.

Foods made from soybeans, corn, potatoes, rape seed and cotton are subject to the labeling, as they are the only products being marketed in Japan as genetically engineered.

However, some consumer groups have complained that products made from rape seed, cotton and potatoes may be left out of the compulsory labeling because tracing genetic modifications in those ingredients is technically difficult.

The groups say the labeling should cover farm products before they are processed, thereby ensuring that all food containing modified ingredients can be identified.