The farm ministry said Wednesday that 25 out of 80 randomly selected tofu and "natto" soybean products sold under organic labels were found to contain genetically modified soybeans.
Under agricultural standards regulations, products containing genetically modified organisms, even in trace amounts, cannot bear organic labels.
When production, distribution and other processes are conducted in accordance with Japan Agricultural Standards rules, and yet small amounts of genetically modified materials end up in the products accidentally, charges of violating JAS rules are not brought.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is inspecting the factories at which the products in question were produced, ministry officials said.
According to the officials, the tests identified genetically modified soybeans in 20 tofu products and five natto fermented soybean products.
These products were manufactured by 25 companies in 15 prefectures.
This revelation follows a string of mislabeling scams, including the labeling of foreign beef as domestic produce.
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