The Japanese unit of Procter & Gamble Co (P&G) said on Tuesday it would recall some 800,000 packs of its Pringles potato chips that were found to contain unapproved genetically modified (GM) potatoes. Procter and Gamble Far East Inc said in a statement it was voluntarily recalling the snacks produced in the United States between last August and April this year and imported to Japan. The amount of recalled products represent about eight per cent of the company's average monthly sales on the domestic market, the statement said. It added that while safety of the GM potatoes, NewLeaf Plus and NewLeaf Y, had been verified in the United States and Canada, they were not approved by Japan and the company was recalling the snacks as a result. The NewLeaf varieties, developed by leading U.S. agricultural biotech firm Monsanto Co to protect potatoes from insects and potato viruses, have not been approved in Japan. In 1998, Monsanto's Japan unit applied for approval of NewLeaf Plus, but a decision is still pending.
