Opposition to GMOs starting to take root in Japan
COMTEX NewswireFreitag, 31. Dezember 1999 02:24:00
TOKYO, Dec. 31 (Kyodo) -- By: Rieko Saito Many people in the Waseda
district of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward are joining a campaign called the
"My Tofu" project, organized by shopkeepers promising to provide
fresh bean curd every week made exclusively from organically grown
soybeans.
"To those who don't feel comfortable with tofu made from imported
soybeans, many of which are genetically altered -- why not join us?" a
campaign leaflet asks.
The project is part of the rapidly spreading "soybean-field trust"
system launched by consumers opposed to imports of farm produce made
with genetically modified organism (GMO) technology.
Under the trust system, a consumer becomes the "owner" of about 30
square meters of soybean field for 4,000 yen per year, and entrusts the
cultivation of soybeans to contracted farmers.
Crops will be handed to the "owner" in the form of soybean products
such as tofu, soybean paste and soy sauce made by food processors who
are also taking part in the project.
Junichiro Yasui, leader of the Waseda shopkeepers, calculates that an
average 40 kilograms of soybean crops can be expected from the 30 sq.
meters of field. That makes 24 standard-size pieces of tofu, after
subtracting costs and profits for farmers and processors.
"Four thousand yen divided by 24 makes the price of the special tofu
170 yen per piece, cheaper than the average 200 yen per piece made from
ordinary soybeans," he said.
A condition participants have to accept, however, is that the amount of
tofu they receive could vary depending on the weather.
The soybean-field trust system was launched by the Consumer Union of
Japan in 1998, with 15 groups each gathering about 100 consumer
participants. The number of groups grew in 1999 to more than 60
nationwide, as more people became concerned about the safety of food
containing GMOs, said Setsuko Yasuda, leader of the union's No GMO
Campaign.
The Consumer Union launched the campaign in various forms in 1996, when
the Japanese government approved imports of GM soybeans, rapeseed and
corn.
Public participation in the anti-GMO movement, however, really took off
this year when debates intensified on whether or not to introduce a
mandatory labeling system for food products containing GMOs to let
consumers know and give them a choice in purchases.
GMOs are organisms grown using genetic modification technologies. The
technologies include, for example, transplanting a bacteria gene which
is resilient to certain types of herbicide into soybeans to make them
tolerant of the herbicides.
In the mid-1990s, the United States adopted guidelines for commercial
application of some of the technologies, based on a concept endorsed by
biotech companies developing GM seeds that GM crops are substantially
equivalent to conventional crops unless they differ significantly in
composition or nutrition.
The guidelines were later adopted by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations, including Japan.
Cultivation of GM crops then spread quickly over the past few years,
particularly in North America.
The cultivation acreage of GM soybeans, corn and potatoes in the U.S.
increased from several percent of the total in 1996 to around 30 % in
1998, according to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries.
In Japan, which is about 97% dependent on imported soybeans for its
tofu, soybean paste and oil, probably 50% of all soybeans consumed in
the nation could be GM crops, industry people say, while 30% of
potatoes imported for animal feed could also be GM crops.
The ratios are not known exactly because GM crops are mixed with non-GM
crops in exporting countries during distribution.
The rapid increases in GMO imports ignited heated debates on the safety
of GMO-containing food products.
Those who support GMO development say the safety of GM crops has been
tested for years from almost all possible angles. They are as safe as
-- or as dangerous as -- conventional farm products, most of which have
been developed artificially through generations of pollination and
cross-breeding.
Making crops resilient to herbicides reduces the use of agricultural
chemicals, thus helping to protect the environment.
Ultimately, they also say, GM technologies will save the world from
food shortages, a perilous situation in the 21st century given the
rapidly increasing global population.
Opponents argue that existing test results are not sufficient to be
convincing. The technologies are no longer the same as conventional
cross-breeding, because implanting gene information specific to
bacteria, insects, or animals into other types of organism is to create
organisms that do not exist naturally.
Such technologies could go out of scientists' control, causing
unpredictable mutations of organisms, and unexpectedly create new
diseases or damage to the environment, they say.
Another problem with GM technologies, opponents say, is that they are
currently monopolized by a handful of multinational biotech companies
based in developed countries.
With the numerous patents they hold on GMOs and seeds, the companies
could control the world's food supplies, and yet their primary purpose
is to make profits, not supply food for hungry people, opponents say.
"There is a wide gap in knowledge between scientists and the ordinary
public," said Yutaka Tabei, deputy director at the farm ministry's
Innovative Technology Division.
If people understand enough about the technologies, they will
understand the safety of GM crops, he said, adding that the
technologies are necessary for Japan as it is the single biggest food
importing country in the world.
This fall the farm ministry announced it will introduce mandatory
labeling at least for 24 processed food items from April 2001, but
Japan has generally been slow to react to opposition in the face of
pressure from GM crop-exporting countries, saying that mandatory
labeling could disrupt world farm trade.
-0-
Copyright 2000