MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The measure followed the announcement by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department of Agriculture that unapproved strain of genetically altered wheat was discovered in the western state of Washington, Yonhap News Agency reported. The distribution and sales of wheat are said to have been halted as well.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it had asked the APHIS to provide details on the unapproved wheat and methods of inspection.
"We will thoroughly inspect genetically modified wheat from Washington State as soon as the U.S. provides relevant information," a ministry official said, as quoted by the media outlet.
Seoul imported 619,000 metric tons of wheat and 2,700 metric tons of flour in total from the United States as of July 25.
