Illegal Genetically Engineered Starlink Corn Contaminates Food Aid

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Illegal Genetically Engineered Starlink Corn Contaminates Food AidGlobal Leaders at World Food Summit Asked to Prevent Further ContaminationJune 13, 2002The Bolivian Forum on Environment and Development (FOBOMADE), a citizens'group in Bolivia, announced that a sample of U. S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) food aid tested positive for the presence of StarLinkgenetically engineered corn, a variety not approved for human consumptiondue to health concerns. The group expressed outrage that more than a yearafter StarLink was found in the U. S. food supply it has appeared in foodaid. They criticized the USAID and the World Food Program and demanded thatgenetically engineered crops not be sent as food aid to countries that havenot formulated biosafety regulations. They also emphasized the critical needto protect the birthplaces of corn from genetic contamination..This is the first time that StarLink has been found in food aid and thefirst time it has been found outside the U. S., Japan and Korea sinceoriginally detected in the U. S. in August 2000. All test results wereconfirmed using DNA analysis conducted by Genetic ID, an independentlaboratory located in Iowa..StarLink was not approved for human consumption due to a finding by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the insecticidal protein the cornwas engineered to produce exhibits "characteristics of known allergens."Possible health effects of this category of allergen include nausea andanaphylactic shock, but are not currently known due to a lack of adequatetesting by government and industry. The corn was originally found by Friendsof the Earth and the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition in tacoshells manufactured by Kraft Foods..As a result of the contamination, the U. S. government recalled over 300foodproducts and more than 200 people reported illnesses that were possiblyrelated. EPA concluded one year after the discovery that no level ofStarLink could be determined to be safe for human consumption. Themanufacturer of the corn, Aventis, appealed to the EPA to allow a tolerancelevel for StarLink in food, but was denied. The company has since been miredin multiple lawsuits and has sold its agricultural biotechnology division toBayer..The sample sent for testing by FOBOMADE also contained two other types ofengineered corn not approved in the European Union (EU)--RoundUp Ready andBtXtra, both produced by Monsanto..In Guatemala, Colectivo Madre Selva, a citizens' group tested a sample ofseed sent as food aid and found three varieties of engineered corn notapproved in the EU--Liberty Link produced by Aventis and Monsanto's BtXtraand RoundUp Ready..Centro Humboldt, working with other members of the Network for a GMO-FreeNicaragua, obtained samples of the seeds from different parts of thecountry. One seed sample contained 3.8% of a genetically engineered varietyapproved in the U. S. and the EU, and three samples of a corn and soy flourblend contained Monsanto's RoundUp Ready corn.."It is unacceptable that the children of Nicaragua are consuming geneticallymodified products that come masked as food aid. It is well known that babyfood companies in the U. S. and Europe do not use genetically modifiedproducts," said Julio Sanchez of Centro Humboldt..In a news release dated May 24, 2002, the World Food Program declared that"The WFP does not distribute food that is not acceptable for humanconsumption by the citizens of the producing countries (donor countries) andby the countries that receive the food assistance." The three largestfunders of the World Food Program are the U. S. (US$796 million per year),Japan (US$260 million) and the European Commission (US$118 million). In2000, Dan Glickman, then Secretary of the U. S. Department of Agriculture,said that the agency would make sure StarLink did not enter food aid..Food aid with genetically modified seed may result in cultivation ofgenetically engineered corn in the regions that are considered thebirthplaces of corn, creating a form of biological pollution that cannot berecalled. Commercial imports of corn seed for food to Mexico has recentlybeen reported as a likely pathway threatening native Mexican varieties..Source/contact: Friends of the Earth, 1025 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC20005; phone (202) 783-7400; fax (202) 783-0444; email foe; Web sitehttp://www.foe.org/..