Transgenic corn disallowed after tainted taco shells turn up
A type of genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption was voluntarily pulled from the entire agricultural market in the USA last week after a watchdog group detected the product in a brand of taco shells. Aventis CropScience agreed to cancel its licence to sell the biotech corn, which is known as StarLink, after the coalition Genetically Engineered Food Alert announced that it had discovered the cornmeal in Safeway brand taco shells. Last month, the watchdog coalition Genetically Engineered Food Alert said it found StarLink corn in Taco Bell brand taco shells. Aventis consented to the remedy at the "strong urging" of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has approved StarLink for use only as an animal feed. The deal struck between Aventis and the EPA last week means that StarLink corn can no longer be planted for any agricultural purpose. "Today's agreement will ensure that in the future no new StarLink corn will be grown and none will find its way into the processed foods like taco shells", the EPA declared in a written statement. StarLink corn has not been approved for direct human consumption because of unresolved questions regarding its effect on human health. The corn, which is engineered to be toxic to insects, has also been found to be heat stable and resistant to stomach acids and enzymes, indicating that it could cause allergies in humans. Allergens can cause skin rashes, nausea, and respiratory problems. In severe cases, allergens can cause anaphylactic shock or death. But the EPA was quick to emphasise that there is no evidence that the consumption of StarLink will lead to any of those problems. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the suspension of StarLink sales could cost Aventis some US$100 million. The USDA last month agreed to buy up all of this year's StarLink crop and sell it for animal feed and other related uses after the substance was detected in Taco Bell brand taco shells. The Taco Bell products, manufactured by Kraft Foods, were voluntarily recalled from grocery store shelves on September 22. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially recalled the products ten days later. Neither the voluntary nor mandatory recall affected products sold at Taco Bell restaurants, although federal officials said they would test those foodstuffs as a precautionary measure. Safeway began pulling its brand name taco shells off store shelves Wednesday night (October 11). Both Safeway and Kraft Foods used the same corn flour supplier for their taco shells, the Azteca Milling Company of Plainview, Texas. Azteca is investigating the incidents and has reportedly implemented testing procedures to ensure that the genetically modified corn does not reach its mills. That is not good enough for Genetically Modified Food Alert, the watchdog coalition that prompted the recalls. Larry Bohlen, director of health and environment programs at coalition member organisation Friends of the Earth, said that the incidents illustrate bigger problems with the government's regulatory procedures. "Two contamination incidents in one month show that the FDA is doing a miserable job protecting the American food supply", Bohlen said. The coalition has called on the FDA to test all corn-based food products for the presence of Cry9C, the gene engineered into StarLink corn. Genetically Engineered Food Alert has also called on the FDA to conduct a thorough investigation into numerous reports of illness made to FDA and alleged to have been caused by consumption of contaminated taco shells. "The recall of Taco Bell taco shells distributed by Kraft and the recent finding of StarLink corn in Safeway products underscores the need for stronger government regulation over genetically engineered foods", said Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust. "While these genetically engineered ingredients continue to enter the market, the FDA refuses to mandate pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered ingredients or labelling for consumers' right to know." Aventis is a global corporate group with European roots in Germany and France. Aventis CropScience was formed in December 1999 from the combination of AgrEvo, the Hoechst/Schering joint venture, and the Rhtne- Poulenc agriculture division. Their website can be found at: http://www2.aventis.com
More information on the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition can be found at: http://www.gefoodalert.org* * * Environment News Service (ENS) (abridged)