Starlink, archive 3996

[Rick Roush <rick.roush@adelaide.edu.au>]

"Nancy Allen" <nallen@acadia.net> wrote:

>When you ridicule GM food opponents as being "harbingers of doom" perhaps
>you should look at the recent doomsday scenario of the US Starlink corn
>contamination.  Much of the corn seed that farmers will plant this year
>will contain this seed not approved for human consumption.  None of the US
>federal agencies have any idea what to do about this.  Most people would
>consider this a doomsday scenario orchestrated by the supporters and
>promoters of the GM food industry.  Thank you to the Greens and everyone
>else taking on this immoral, and now probably irreversible, process....
>

Dear Ms Allen:

The release of Starlink corn was a fiasco and reflects badly on the ability
of one company to make good on its obligations to make sure that the corn
stayed out of the food supply unless and until it is approved.  However,
although the  corn is not approved for human consumption, there is no
evidence that it is harmful either, and in fact was approved by the chief
food regulators in the US, the FDA.  Federal agencies are moving to clean
up seed supplies, which were never more than 1% contaminated anyway.  I
doubt that your statement "Much of the corn seed that farmers will plant
this year will contain this seed" is correct.

That  "this a doomsday scenario orchestrated by the supporters and
promoters of the GM food industry" is laughable. To the contrary, this
disaster has been milked for all it's worth by GM opponents. Aventis's
incompetence has been a disaster for the GM industry and public confidence.

Some relevant news from today is shown below.

Rick


EPA: NO HEALTH RISK TO STARLINK IN WET MILLING
March 8, 2001
AgWeb
Julianne Johnston
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?file=AgNewsArticle_20013886_
4112&newscat=GN
The same day USDA unveiled a plan to spend up to $20 million to buy seed
corn supplies contaminated with StarLink, the EPA said there is virtually no
health risk to the Cry9C protein in the wet milling of corn.
A detailed report concludes there is "virtually no Cry9C protein in wet
milled products and that there is no likely health concern for the public
associated with the consumption of any food fraction produced by wet milling
of corn as long as reasonable steps are taken to ensure that StarLink corn
is not diverted to wet milling," states the report.
Furthermore, the report reveals that corn protein will not be present in
high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, or alcohol (ethanol). Data also indicate
that corn starch will contain, at most, such extremely low levels of corn
protein that
there is virtually no potential human exposure to Cry9C protein from
consumption of corn starch.
"Continued testing of corn grain for Cry9C protein prior to entry into the
food processing chain and diverting any shipments testing positive to
domestic animal feed or industrial purposes will insure that food fractions
from wet milling contains virtually no Cry9C protein," adds the report.
"Such testing will minimize the possible occurrence of shipments of corn
containing StarLink from entering the wet milling process."