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2000
March
CUJ and the NO! GMO Campaign co-sponsored an International NGO Forum in observance of the World Consumer Rights Day. Invited key note speaker was Dr. Arpad Pusztai, the world’s foremost GM protein expert, who emphasized, “no further releases of GM-crops must be allowed.”
September
NO! GMO Campaign launched a “NO! GM Rice” petition drive to cope with the development that several GM rice varieties were approved for planting in Japan. They included Monsanto’s herbicide tolerant rice and a virus resistant rice developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Mitsubishi Chemical.
Citizens’ Table on Endocrine Disruptors (CTED), a network of nine NGOs and several cooperatives, published a report titled “Dioxins — Actual Condition of Dioxin Pollution in Japan.” High concentrations of dioxins were found in soil, rivers, oceans, food, as well as in Japanese mother’s milk.
November
CUJ participated in the 16th World Congress of Consumers International held in Durban, South Africa.
NO! GMO Campaign tested food and feed products and detected StarLink corn, a non-authorized GM corn that creates a toxin causing allergic reactions. The discovery ignited a worldwide reaction against GM contamination.
2001
January
Five major Japanese consumer groups including CUJ demanded the Norwegian government not to lift its ban on whale meat export. Whale meat is known to contain high amounts of PCBs, pesticides and dioxins, but is allowed to be sold in Japan on the ground that the quantity eaten per day is low.