US Lifts Restrictions On Export Of Starlink Corn 

Dow Jones Newswires 27oct00

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. federal government has lifted restrictions on the export of Starlink corn, a genetically modified variety not approved for human consumption.

In a notice to U.S. exporters late Thursday, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency said Starlink corn may be exported as long as it is specified to be used for food and industrial uses only.

"Exporters are reminded that they have the responsibility to take all appropriate measures to ensure that this product is used only for approved purposes," the notice said.

Every contract must specify the intended use for the corn and exporter must make shipment records available for audit by the USDA, the notice said.

Until Friday, Starlink corn was permitted to be used in animal feed and industrial products within the U.S. only.

"Due to the possible presence of (only) trace amounts of Starlink in corn destined for export, the export restriction is being lifted for such inadvertently commingled shipments," the federal notice said.

The genetically modified corn variety is not approved for human consumption due to concerns about allergic reaction.

Starlink was first detected in Kraft Taco Bell taco shells earlier this month, then was found in other domestic foods, which were recalled.

This week, the problem mushroomed into an international one after a Japanese consumer group announced it had found traces of Starlink corn in some of its food products. Evidently, Starlink corn commingled with regular U.S. corn shipments to the country.

Japan has stringent regulations regarding biotechnically engineered products and a zero tolerance policy for unapproved corn varieties. The country is one of the largest importers of U.S. corn.

Japan has asked for reassurances from the U.S. government that no more of the corn variety will trickle into the country's food chain undetected via U.S. grain shipments.

The U.S. government's lifting of the export restrictions is aimed at allowing corn exports to continue, while assuring the corn is only used for animal feed and industrial uses.

Aventis CropScience, which developed the Starlink corn, has agreed to buy back the entire crop to ensure more doesn't get into food supplies.

On Thursday, a U.S. Agriculture Department aide said only 1.2 million bushels of the 80-million-bushel Starlink corn crop this year is unaccounted for.

Nearly 90% of the Starlink crop remains locked up on the nation's farms. It will likely be fed to livestock or shipped to ethanol plants.

The USDA continues to track down the grain, but USDA officials have said they don't believe the remaining grain will get into the food supply.