Washington : Five months after massive recalls of taco shells and other foods containing genetically modified corn, traces of the biotech corn turned up in seed intended for planting this spring. The modified corn, approved only for animal feed, was detected by some seed companies as they prepared shipments of seed intended to produce food for human consumption, according to the Agriculture Department. Although the altered seeds were on their way to farms, it isn't believed that any were planted."Companies have told us that they have completed tests" that show modified material in their corn seed, agency spokesman Kevin Herglotz said. The US officials refused to say how many seeds were affected or which companies are involved. They wouldn't say when the concerns arose. The discovery was reported by the Washington Post.
The genetically modified corn, called StarLink, was developed by Aventis SA. The company "has been doing everything it can to identify and successfully channel StarLink corn to approved uses," said a spokeswoman for the U.S. unit of the French company. "This is a regulatory issue, not a product safety issue."
Val Giddings, a vice president with the Biotech Industry Organization, said the affected seeds were a "very small proportion of the total."The American Seed Trade Association is polling its members to find out how widespread the situation is, said spokeswoman Angela Dansby. She said the discovery of the biotech seeds wouldn't likely have much effect in major overseas markets for corn, such as in Japan, which hasn't approved StarLink corn for any use and complained loudly last year when the genetically modified material was found in foodstuffs shipped from the U.S.
StarLink contains an insecticide, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved its use only for animal feed. It wasn't approved for use in foods intended for humans because of concerns that a StarLink protein called Cry9C may trigger allergic reactions. Aventis stopped producing the corn last fall and has been compensating farmers and grain elevators for losses incurred when StarLink turned up in corn intended for human foods.
Seed companies started testing for Cry9C last fall but aren't required to by law. Thursday, representatives of the biotech industry and government regulators met behind closed doors at the Agriculture Department; discussion was dominated by how to detect the seeds and determine the scope of the problem. US officials said the meeting had been planned for weeks, and was one in a series held on StarLink.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
