Japanese consumer groups demanded on Friday that the government impose a ban on domestic sales of corn seeds imported from the United States over fears of contamination by the unapproved biotech corn, StarLink.
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Consumer groups made the request after it emerged that there is a possible risk of StarLink contamination in this year’s US corn crop. The consumer groups said in a statement that they had asked the government for mandatory labelling on corn seed or a halt of planting genetically modified seeds on the domestic market.
Tests by seed companies last month found the controversial Cry9C protein in seed corn set for planting this spring. The Cry9C protein, which is allowed for animal feed use in the United States, is spliced into StarLink corn to repel pests, but there are concerns it could trigger allergies in humans.
On Thursday, Japan’s agriculture ministry said it would introduce mandatory safety checks to guard against imports of unapproved GM crops for animal feed, following a recommendation by a government panel.
This month, Japan has also begun regular checks for StarLink biotech corn in food imports at unloading ports and in domestic food products. StarLink has been found in a number of food products in Japan, despite it not being approved for food or animal feed use.
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