Japan Halts Some U.S. Wheat Imports on Gene-Altered Crops

Japan, Asia’s second-largest wheat buyer, suspended some imports of the grain from the U.S. after the discovery in an Oregon field of gene-altered crops developed by Monsanto Co. that never won approval for consumption.

Japan halted imports of western-white wheat and feed wheat from the U.S., and canceled a plan to buy 24,926 metric tons of western-white wheat in an import tender today, said Hiromi Iwahama, director for grain trade and operation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The action is aimed at preventing unapproved crops from entering the food chain, he said today in a telephone interview.