StarLink Contaminates Human  Food

. . . Again!

AP 1mar01

WASHINGTON  -- Some corn seed headed for sale to farmers has been contaminated by small amounts of a genetically engineered variety of the grain that prompted mass recalls of food last year, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Seed companies detected the genetically engineered grain while testing their stocks, the newspaper said, quoting government and industry officials.

It was unclear how many seed companies found the genetic material in their products.

In response to the news, representatives of the seed industry were planning to meet with government officials on Thursday.

The engineered corn, known as StarLink, has been approved only for animal consumption because of concerns about its safety for humans.

None of the contaminated corn seed has been planted, but farmers and grain exporters fear the discovery could alarm European and Asian companies who have said they will not buy any corn suspected of being tainted by StarLink.

The creator of StarLink, Aventis CropScience, maintains the corn is safe for people and has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to approve it retroactively for humans. The EPA has chosen not to do so, because a protein in StarLink, Cry9c breaks down slowly, raising fears that it could cause allergic reactions.