The South African Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry says Kenya authorised the import before the department could issue a commodity export permit. The department then issued export permits for 240,000 tonnes of genetically modified maize for use as a commodity (not for planting), director Peter Thabete told the South Africa parliamentary Committee on GMOs. [...] The African Centre for Biosafety says South Africa exported 300,000 tonnes of GM food to the region, of which 280,000 came to Kenya. It says Kenyans have been eating GM food for the past three years.