Traces of StarLink Persist

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Misty L. Trepke

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Traces of StarLink persist

 

Three years after the StarLink corn controversy, traces of the

corn—unapproved for human consumption—are showing up in the nation's

corn supply, according to a report this month from the San Jose

Mercury News.

 

Federal testers found StarLink in more than 1 percent of samples

submitted by growers and grain handlers in the past year.

 

The news raises concerns—especially now that the U.S. is considering

giving the go-ahead to crops genetically engineered to produce

pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines—that the federal government is

unable to guarantee the health of the American public from

genetically engineered crops.

 

The Mercury News reports that it is unclear how the StarLink corn

mixed in with the corn supply headed for human consumption. Some

growers, the newspaper says, may have sold their corn without

identifying it as StarLink.

 

``The StarLink lesson is that contamination is to some extent

irreversible,'' said Doreen Stabinsky, a scientific adviser to

Greenpeace, who has a Ph.D. in genetics. ``Years later, you could

still see it turning up in the food supply and the grain supply.''

 

Learn more about the StarLink fiasco here

 

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StarLink fiasco increases pressure for regulation

 

The StarLink corn fiasco of 2000 represents one of the most

embarrassing oversights in the history of U.S. regulatory oversight

of food.

 

In September 2000, scientists discovered StarLink biotech corn, a

variety unapproved for human consumption, in Kraft Foods Taco Bell

taco shells. Kraft recalled millions of dollars of shells. Since

then, StarLink corn has been found in as many as 300 different foods

throughout the country, as more than 9 million bushels of the corn

were dumped into American grain elevators.

 

Aventis, the manufacturer of StarLink corn, sought approval for both

animal and human consumption of the corn in 1997. The EPA, though,

said the corn could be used only for animal feed. Approval for human

consumption was not granted because the corn shares characteristics

with other foods that cause allergic reactions. " It gave us enough

doubt that we were not comfortable to put it into the food supply, "

said Susan Hazen, deputy director of the EPA's Office of Pesticide

Programs.

 

How did unapproved corn find its way into the food supply? Aventis

says that it may not have notified a number of its customers about

restrictions on the use of StarLink corn. Analysts estimate the

StarLink corn recall ultimately will cost Aventis between $68

million and $100 million.

 

" It's very clear that the emergence of biotechnology has brought

about a whole new set of regulatory challenges which the current

regulatory structure is not able to handle, " said Congressman Dennis

Kucinich (D-Ohio), in late 2000. " In the next session of Congress,

there is going to be a push for labeling, for safety testing, and

potentially for some revision of the agencies' responsibilities. "

 

Calls for reform are coming from some unexpected places. Shortly

after the StarLink disaster broke, Business Week, in a commentary,

wrote: " Once again, it seems the industry has hurt itself with its

unyielding opposition to labeling or special regulations for biotech

foods….Biotech foods are new, they are different, and they deserve

special regulations. The industry should drop its opposition to

tougher regulations. "

 

Even the president of Monsanto's Argentina division, Carlos Popik,

has announced his support for labeling. He told reporters recently

that " I think people have a right to know what they're consuming. I

believe the lion's share of their fears will subside once that kind

of information is made available. "

 

It's clear that the StarLink corn recalls and other worries about

genetically engineered foods are having an impact on the American

public. In a November survey of 1,210 adults, a Reuters/Zogby poll

found that a majority of Americans (54 percent) believe the recalls

raise concerns about food safety, and one-third said that farmers

should not be allowed to grow biotech crops.