Recalled corn products still on shelves 

Jennifer Heldt Powell / Boston Herald  30nov00

Four supermarkets stocked products - made from genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption - after they had been recalled, consumer groups said yesterday. Recalled Chi Chi's and El Rio products made with yellow corn were found, by members of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group and Clean Water Action, on the shelves at Shaws Supermarket in Revere and Star Markets in Somerville, Dorchester and Quincy. 

"We're calling on the supermarkets to abide by the recall,'' said MassPIRG spokeswoman Jill Rubin. "But the bigger problem is that these foods should never have been on supermarket shelves.'' She and other consumer advocates are calling for tighter government restrictions on genetically altered crops. 

Managers of Shaws Supermarkets Inc., which also owns Star Markets, said the products should have been removed from all of its 167 stores in mid-October and that they took steps yesterday to ensure there was none left. "This is serious, as far as we're concerned,'' said Shaws spokesman Bernard J. Rogan. 

"We're very upset and it should not have happened.'' Customers who bought any of the recalled products should return them for a full refund, he said, but there is no record of any sales of them in the last six weeks. The problem began earlier this year, when genetically engineered yellow corn - approved only for animal feed - was wrongfully released for human food.

The corn, developed by Aventis SA, was grown from StarLink seeds genetically altered to resist pests. It may cause allergic reactions, but the company says the risk is minimal and is seeking federal approval for the corn to be used in human food products. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said yesterday the government should improve the tracking and detection of biotech crops to protect markets for both gene-altered and conventional foods. He said the department will take public comment on steps his department could take, including setting definitions for biotech and conventional crops as part of the government's system of quality grades and standards.