Under the new procedures, decided officially on Tuesday by Japan's Health Ministry, it will be mandatory for suppliers to provide proof that GMO foods meet ministry safety standards. The import of foods containing unapproved GMOs will be banned from April 2001. Since Japan started importing GMOs in 1996, the ministry has asked suppliers to provide proof, but on a voluntary basis. The ministry decided to tighten the rules in response to criticism by consumers who say the current system is too lax to prevent unapproved GMO foods from entering Japan. Genetically modified crops contain a gene from another organism to give plants resistance to a certain herbicide or the ability to produce its own toxin to kill pests.
Critics remain sceptical about the safety of the new foods.
Traders said consumer worries were overdone because all seed companies that want crops grown from their genetically altered seeds to be exported to Japan have been cooperating with the Health Ministry. They have been seeking the government's approval, and they will continue to do so. By making it mandatory, the ministry wants to persuade worried consumers that all GMO foods in supermarkets and restaurants are safe to eat, traders said. It is just lip service to consumers. Japan, the world's largest importer of agricultural products, has been heavily dependent on supplies from the United States, the world's biggest producer of GMO crops.