Nine years after the debut of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the world market, consumers in East Asia are still worried about eating GMO food, although the region uses grain from such crops for feed. In Japan and South Korea, both major grain importers, GMO crops that have been certified as safe by the government can be used for food. But amid safety concerns, food processors have always taken a cautious stance.
"Food processors do not use GMO crops for products that are subject to labelling requirements. I don't think this stance will change in the future," said Takashi Oaki, secretary general of the Japan Oil & Fat Importers & Exporters Association.
The Japanese government has approved for human consumption 59 GMO varieties for six crops potatoes, soyabeans, sugar beet, corn, rapeseed and cotton. Thanks to recent outbreaks of bird flu and mad cow disease, Japanese consumers have become more concerned about the safety of livestock products.
But their attention may come back to GMO if China becomes the first country to introduce GMO rice. "China's move could rekindle public concerns as Japanese have special feelings about rice their staple food," Oaki said.
Scientists and grain trade officials say China could introduce GMO rice as this year, although government officials remain tight-lipped about the timing.
Japan has also been developing GMO rice varieties and is trying to turn consumer sentiment in favour of the products. "Many people are concerned about GMO safety because they don't know much about it," said Kyoko Saito, director of the Agriculture Ministry's biotechnology safety division.
"We will step up efforts to explain how useful the technology is." Japan imports several million tonnes of genetically modified corn and soyabeans, mainly from the United States, for commercial feed production.
GMO crops contain a gene from another organism, giving the plants characteristics such as resistance to herbicides and the ability to produce their own toxins to kill pests. Promoters say the new technology boost yields and lowers costs, while critic's fear there will be health and environmental consequences over time.
"It is not certain that GMO crops produced for feed are safe for people to eat," said Kim Ja-hei, executive director of the Citizens Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea. Under Japanese law, food made from GMO crops must be labelled to help consumers make an informed choice.
But products in which DNA or protein resulting from gene alteration cannot be detected using existing technologies, such as cooking oil, are exempted. South Korea requires labelling for GMO beans, bean sprouts, corn and potatoes, and also for food for human consumption processed from these commodities.
It plans to expand the regulation to cover all living organisms imported for human consumption this year, in line with global regulations. In Taiwan, the only regulation in place requires assessment and labelling for 10 varieties of modified corns and one variety of modified soyabean.
Government agencies are working on similar requirements for potatoes, cotton and canola oil. There is no timetable for implementing these requirements. Taiwanese food processors are conservative in their approach in using GMO materials and have taken to actively labelling certain lines as non-GMO.
Japan needs about 4 million tonnes of corn and 1 million tonnes of soyabeans for food use annually, and the bulk of these requirements are filled with non-GMO crops from North America. Every year Japanese firms pay premiums to sign contracts with US and Canadian farmers for non-GMO soya supplies.
For 2004/05 crops, Japanese buyers are paying premiums of $1.5-1.7 per bushel, including costs and freight, for non-GMO US soya. For corn, Japanese buyers normally pay premiums of 60-70 cents a bushel for non-GMO US crops, traders said.
In South Korea, the state-run Agricultural and Fishery Marketing Corporation annually imports about 250,000 tonnes of non-GMO food-grade soyabeans.
The Korea Corn Processing Industry Association, a major food-grade corn importer that imports more than 2 million tonnes of the grain annually, said the group had no plans to switch to buying GMO varieties because of consumer concerns.
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