GM rice in the news

Japan has banned imports of US rice following news about a positive test for trace amounts of a genetically modified strain not approved for human consumption.

Japan's government has requested the US to enact strict controls, according to several newspapers. The Health Ministry does not include any strain of rice on its list of genetically modified foods approved for sale in Japan.

Also, ten of the nation's 47 prefectures have their own regulations on the open-air cultivation of genetically modified plants, an Asahi Shimbun survey has found:

The local ordinances or guidelines are meant to prevent cross-pollination and hybridization of GM plants with related crops in the region.

"Once cross-breeding or mixups take place, it will be too late," said an agriculture section official of Niigata Prefecture.

Japan began to import GM crops in the 1990s, but no commercial production has started here because of consumer concerns over safety.

Read more: Regulating GM crops a local matter

Update: Antonia Mochan, a European Commission spokesperson for science and research told the BBC: "This is a matter of utmost urgency for us and we will be looking to act as soon as we can once we have the knowledge that can inform that decision."

She would not rule out a suspension of imports, but said many options could be considered depending on the answers they received.