TOKYO, May 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese farm ministry released a white paper Friday, calling for food safety following the discovery of mad cow disease in the country last year.

¡¡¡¡The white paper on agriculture for fiscal 2001 carries a reporton bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases in Japan presentedby an investigative panel in early April.

¡¡¡¡The panel criticized the farm ministry for its failure to ban meat and bone meal feed in the mid-1990s, and inadequate legal andinstitutional frameworks in Japan to ensure food safety.

¡¡¡¡The white paper says Japan has confirmed the outbreak of the disease, and that the public has lost faith in food safety.

¡¡¡¡The white paper urges the government to ensure safety "from thefarm to the table," and to restore public faith in the labeling offood as soon as possible. Enditem

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