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遺伝子組み換えパパイヤがペットフード用に輸入されたあと食用としてインターネットで販売されたことが分かり、回収命令が出される事態となっている。
厚生労働省は9日、広島県福山市の食品販売会社「フード・ネット」がインターネットで販売したタイ産パパイアから、安全性が審査されていない遺伝子組み換えパパイアが見つかったと発表した。福山市は食品衛生法に違反するとして自主回収を指示した。時事通信が伝えた。
共同通信によると、回収命令の対象商品は「野菜ぱぱいやお試し」と「野菜ぱぱいや」。同社は4月、別の業者がタイからペットフードとして輸入した乾燥パパイア約6キロを仕入れ、うち約4キロを主にインターネットで販売していた。同社では食用として販売しており、「輸入業者から遺伝子組み換えでもペットフード用でもないと聞いており、困惑している」と話している。
NHKによると、フード・ネットは「食品用だと認識していたし、遺伝子組み換えだとは知らなかったが、消費者に迷惑をかけて申し訳ない。購入した人に連絡をとって回収を進めており、再発防止に努めたい」と話している。
■TPP交渉でも重要課題に
遺伝子組み換え食品は、日本政府が今月から交渉参加する環太平洋戦略的経済連携協定(TPP)でも重要な課題となっている。産経新聞によると、アメリカが難色を示していた遺伝子組み換え食品の表示義務を受け入れる方針であるという。
TPPにおける遺伝子組み換え食品の表示義務化については、オーストラリアやニュージーランドが賛成の立場を表明。アメリカは遺伝子組み換え食品の輸出大国として義務化には反対だったが、TPP交渉全体の進展を重視し妥協を受け入れた。
日本政府は7月15～25日にマレーシアで開かれるTPPの第18回拡大交渉会合に同月23日から参加する。
■用語
特定の遺伝子を作物に組み込んで、農薬耐性、害虫抵抗性などの機能を付与された農産物、及びその加工品。生産性の向上や多収穫が見込めるので北米を中心に栽培が拡大している。
除草剤に強い大豆、トウモロコシ、ナタネ、害虫に強いトウモロコシ、ジャガイモなどがあり、日本では1996年から輸入されている。安全性に疑問があるという消費者などの声を受け、農林水産省は2001年4月から、日本農林規格(JAS)法の改正でGM農産物及びそれを原料にした食品に表示義務(例えば「大豆(遺伝子組み換え)」等)を実施。しかし、しょうゆ、食用油脂、マッシュポテト、ジャガイモ澱粉などは、加工工程で「遺伝子組み換えで生じたDNAやたんぱく質」が除去・分解されるとの理由から表示義務はない。海外ではGM作物の栽培が増加しているが、日本では06年の時点で食用作物は栽培されていない。（コトバンク「遺伝子組み換え食品」より）
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