StarLink scandal
In September 2000, Genetically Engineered Food Alert, a non-government organisation (NGO), found that taco shells sold by Kraft Foods in retail shops were contaminated by a genetically modified corn variety called "StarLink corn', which had not been approved by federal regulators for human use. StarLink is produced by Aventis Crop Sciences (ACS), a subsidiary of the European bio-pharmaceutical corporation, Aventis. It contains Bacillus thuringienes (Bt), a toxin against the European corn borer pest.
Bt contains Cry9C protein, a potential allergen that is not approved for human consumption. Cry9C is heat stable and resistant to degradation in gastric juice. Since the corn is regulated as a pesticide, it is considered an adulterant under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Under US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) ruling, StarLink corn can be used only for animal feed and industrial purposes. But some of the farmers growing StarLink were not aware that they had to maintain a 200-metre buffer zone around their fields, while others did not segregate the GM corn fields from conventional crops.
As a result, much of the US corn harvest was contaminated with StarLink, leading to economic losses running into millions. StarLink corn was found in 55,000 tonnes of shipment exported to Japan, the biggest buyer of US corn. Following this incident, Japan emerged with strict laws with zero tolerance for unapproved imported agricultural products. The US also withdrew its exports to South Korea, the second largest importer. Companies like Kraft Foods and Kellogg's voluntarily recalled the corn and products derived from it. More than 300 products have been recalled throughout the US.
Throughout the US, 4,046 hectare (ha) of land were planted with StarLink corn in 1998, which shot up to 101,000 ha in 1999 and 141,600 ha in 2000. Aventis has started buying back all of this year's crops from the farmers. At the same time, it is asking the EPA another four years time to pull out its crops grown since 1998.
The incident sparked a major controversy and raised a lot of questions. Even if the corn is meant for animal feed, have any tests been conducted on its effects on animals or humans who consume the animals fed on Starlink corn? If the corn enters the food supply, who is liable? According to Aventis, StarLink corn is no longer used for agricultural purposes. However, Third World Network, a Malaysia-based NGO, claims that it is still being exported to Asia, Latin America and Europe.