EPA pledges "rigorous" review of biotech corn approval
Philip Brasher / AP 30oct00

WASHINGTON -- Pledging to do a thorough review before allowing a variety of gene-altered corn in food, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans Monday for a 30-day public comment period and formal consultations with scientists.

Discovery of the corn in the food supply has forced nationwide recalls of taco shells and forced the shutdown of processing plants.

Aventis CropScience, which developed the corn, wants the EPA to grant a temporary food-use permit for the corn and submitted data last week that the company said showed the grain posed no hazard to consumers.

"The agency will conduct a thorough scientific analysis of this new information and will follow a rigorous process of scientific and public review to evaluate the allergenic potential of StarLink corn," said Steve Johnson, a deputy assistant administrator of EPA.

The public comment period will start Tuesday. The EPA plans to have a meeting with scientists, which will be open to the public, during the week of Nov. 27-Dec. 1.

Aventis wants the EPA to grant temporary food-use approval to the corn to avoid further recalls and shutdowns of food processors.

The corn was only allowed for animal feed or industrial purposes because of unresolved questions about its potential to cause allergic reactions. The government has been unable to trace about 1.5 percent -- or 1.2 million bushels -- of this year's crop. The rest has gone to approved uses or is being held in storage.

"The longer that there is no decision, the more confused consumers are likely to become. We think consumers deserve to have action as soon as possible," said Gene Grabowski, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers of America.

But Neil Harl, an Iowa State University agricultural economist who is advising farmers on the StarLink issue, said EPA risks harming consumer confidence in government food regulation if it acts too quickly.

"At issue here is the reputation of regulators," Harl said. "We should be extremely careful that we do not give the impression that regulators will bow to industry pressure or we'll end up with something close to what Europe has where people don't trust the regulators."