Soy is the basis of tofu, a staple food in Japan. Subsequently, the largest and third-largest Japanese beer makers, Kirin Brewery and Sapporo Breweries, Ltd., announced that they will stop using genetically modified corn by 2001. Other Japanese brewers are expected to follow suit. The Reuters North America wire service reported Sept. 1 that South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand have all now passed laws requiring the labeling of genetically modified foods. Reuters says the U.S. government has publicly protested against such labeling laws and has privately lobbied hard against them, unsuccessfully.
Corn flour is made into tortillas, a Mexican staple.
After the baby food announcements, Iams, the high-end pet food producer, announced that it would not purchase any of the seven varieties of genetically modified corn that have not been approved by the European Union. This announcement cut off an alternative use that U.S. farmer's had hoped to make of corn rejected by overseas buyers. Hormone treatment makes cattle grow faster and produces more tender, flavorful cuts of beef. Since 1995 the European Union has prohibited the treatment of any farm animals with sex hormones intended to promote growth, on grounds that sex hormones are known to cause several human cancers. As a byproduct of that prohibition, the EU refuses to allow the import of hormone-treated beef from the U.S. and Canada.