November 22, 2010

Japan invents new DNA test to check beef's origin
 

Japan's farm ministry has decided to begin using DNA tests to find out whether beef has been produced locally or in other places by using a new testing method invented by a research team in Kobe, a ministry official said Sunday (Nov 21).

The method, which could be available as early as fiscal 2011, is the first to use DNA to identify the origin of beef, according to Kobe University professor, Hideyuki Mannen, who was in charge of the research team.

The team conducted study on cows reared in Japan and other countries such as Australia and US which are also known as two of the biggest beef exporters to Japan, to identify different DNA patterns.

After testing out the new method on 400 Japanese cows, 278 Australian cows and 107 American cows, the team was able to discern with 100% accuracy where they came from, it said.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is intending to use the method at the Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center, an independent administrative agency in Saitama that checks food safety and labelling.

Amid increasing demand for domestic food products, Japan has been dominated by numerous false labelling scams in recent years that implicated key food producers who labelled beef produced in other countries as domestically produced in 2002 during the mad cow scare.

But Mannen said label scammers will be easily identified by the new method.

"It will serve as a great deterrent for the false labeling of beef. You can change the labels but cannot change the DNA," he said.