By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Civic groups are renewing calls for tougher rules on the notification of products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) following the discovery of the use of powdered GMO beans in products of a leading food maker.

On Monday, Green Consumer Network (GCN) said that Dongwon Home Food's soybean powder contained minor traces of GMO beans. Its testing of 26 soy items on the market last October detected GMO beans in Dongwon's products through a double screening process.

The network reported the findings to the Korea Food and Drug Administration, which has requested the food maker verify the presence of GMOs.

Under current law, food makers are exempt from labeling GMO content when the portion is below 3 percent, which is considered ``unintentional mixture,'' but the company must report it to the government.

Dongwon omitted to do this, but claimed that all soybeans used in its products were from domestic farms where no GMO crops are planted. The company has submitted relevant documents and said it will investigate the matter.

The GCN criticized the government for being lax in monitoring and called on it to force companies to disclose any traces of GMOs in their products. As of last year, corn and beans with possible GMO constituents were imported to Korea by bakeries and other food processors.

The effect of GMOs on the human body is still disputed.

Food makers, GMO seed banks and others claim that their products are safe and inexpensive. On the other hand, worldwide civic groups such as Greenpeace released reports that GMOs could result in weakened reproductive ability. In a survey conducted by French environmental authorities, 72 percent of respondents said it was important to eat GMO-free products and 71 percent said they wanted to know the GMO content of everything they eat.

The government has sought the revision of relevant laws, but has not followed through due to protests from food companies claiming they ``will not be able to maintain business'' should they reveal their contents. The KFDA settled the matter by letting food makers promote non-GMO foods aggressively.

However, Monday's case, in which the food was promoted as non-GMO but actually contained small amounts of the modified beans, shows that exemptions could be loopholes for some producers, the GCN said.

``We need the right management of ingredients first, correct registration second and correct monitoring last,'' Cho Yun-mi, the group's spokeswoman, said.

Rep. Won Hee-mok of the ruling Grand National Party recently said reporting any minor portion of GMO is the only way to bring consumer confidence back to the market. ``Allowing 3 percent means the producer had no intention of using GMOs aggressively, not that there is no GMO in them,'' he said, calling for the government to regulate more strictly. ``If companies omit revealing any small portion of GMO in the food people are eating, they will instantly panic every time they eat,'' he said.

``Furthermore, the government seems incapable of tracking any suspicious food,'' he added.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr