Genetically modified wheat, which is not authorized for commercial production in Canada, was discovered growing on an Alberta farm last year, officials revealed [last] week.
None of the wheat from the “isolated patch” made its way into the commercial system, officials said Thursday [June 14th] – nor does the discovery pose a risk to food safety. Still, they acknowledged that they don’t know when the plants began growing, or why.
“We cannot speculate on how it arrived,” said David Bailey of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “What we can say with confidence is it has not left that location.”
Nonetheless, Japanese officials Friday [June 15th] suspended the sale of Canadian wheat for now.
“We are suspending the tender and sale of Canadian wheat until we confirm that the Canadian wheat that Japan buys contains no GMO,” a Japanese farm ministry official told Reuters.
Officials found the plants off an access road – and not the main growing area – of a farm in southern Alberta in summer of last year. They noticed them because they survived a spraying treatment for weeds. Testing confirmed that the plants contained a genetically modified trait developed by Monsanto.
Read more: Unauthorized genetically modified wheat found in Alberta, Japan cancels Canadian sale
