A U.N. task force aiming to establish standards for genetically modified foods kicked off a five-day meeting in Chiba on Sunday amid ongoing discord between the United States, which says GM foods are safe, and the European Union, which is more cautious about potential risks in such foods.
On Sunday, EU officials requested that participants first discuss a tracking system for GM foods that would cover production and distribution. U.S. and Japanese officials favored a proposed agenda for discussing "general principles" on safety evaluations of GM foods and a guideline on produce.
Around 35 countries and international organizations are represented in the second meeting of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology held at the Makuhari Messe convention complex in Tokyo's outskirts.
Nongovernmental organizations representing food makers and consumers have also sent officials to the meeting scheduled through Thursday.