| On September 18, 2003, NO! GMO Campaign Japan
submitted an urgent request to Japan Flour
Millers Association - Chairman, Mr. Kazui
Kondo, Address, 15-6, Nihonbashi Kabuto-cho,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0026, Tel +81-3-3667-1011,
Fax +81-3--3667-1673 - which is a leading
economic organization of major and mid-sized
flour millers in Japan, asking to oppose
genetically modified wheat, in solidarity
with consumers. On October 1, 2003, NO! GMO Campaign received a fax from the Flour Millers Association. It was the Association's position regarding genetically modified wheat dated on February 21, 2001: About genetically modified (GM) wheat 1. Consumers of our country have a strong doubt over the safety of GM agricultural products, concerning human health and influence to environment. 2. Under such circumstances, Japan Flour Millers Association recognises that it is rather impossible to introduce wheat-based products, which is not only GM wheat itself, but also materials that might contain GM wheat, into Japanese market. 3. As the milling industry, we cannot use the materials that are not accepted by consumers. Today, October 3, 2003, Masako Koga at the NO! GMO Campaign telephoned and talked to Mr. Seki at the Association, which accounts for about 90 percent of the wheat milled in Japan. According to Mr. Seki, members of the Association have visited to the United States in September in order to investigate and to assess the quality of the U.S. wheat crop. During the telephone conversation, Mr. Seki said: - The Association cannot accept products that are not accepted by consumers. - The Association's position on GM wheat is unchanged and reminds same as the 2001 document. Mr. Seki told Ms. Koga that the Association is mostly for big millers, whereas there is another group for smaller millers called National Flour Millers Cooperative Union. NO! GMO Campaign will submit the same request to the group as well. Reported by Masako Koga (no-gmo@jca.apc.org) http://www.no-gmo.org/ NO! GMO Campaign, 75-2F, Wasedamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0042 Japan |