London, Sept 26: British brewers have done their utmost to make sure no genetically modified maize is used in beermaking, an industry spokesman said after a third big Japanese brewer said it was going GM-free . "As far as I'm aware no British brewer actually uses genetically modified maize in its process," Kim Hampson of the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association (BLRA) said. Asahi Breweries Ltd, one of Japan's three biggest beer makers, said that it would stop using genetically modified (GM) corn (maize) to make beer by April 2000 due to consumer concerns over the safety of bio-engineered crops.
Japan's two other major beer makers -- Kirin Brewery Co Ltd and Sapporo Breweries Ltd -- have already announced they will stop using genetically altered corn in beer by 2001. "Maize can be used," the BLRA's Hampson said,"Beer is a fermented drink made from cereals. In this country we mainly use barley." But there were small amounts of maize used for particular brewing characteristics. "We're not against GMfood, but we've taken every step we can as an industry to ensure that it's not used."
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