StarLink, a product of the Aventis Crop Science corporation, is genetically modified to resist the corn borer, a pest that destroys ears of corn. The corn contains a protein that may potentially create an allergic reaction in humans, according to several studies commissioned by the government. It is approved for use only in animal feed and nonfood products and is barred from sale for human consumption by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The recall began in September after traces of StarLink were found in taco shells under several different brand names. The December 30 Omaha World Herald reported: "What followed was what one agriculture leader described as a 'blitzkrieg' with the entire grain and food industry trying to stop any further spread of StarLink into the food supply."

The scare around the corn led Japan to stop accepting most shipments. The country accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. corn exports, making it the biggest importer from the United States. This and other effects of the contamination of the crop have forced the price of corn down on commodity markets.

Big grain companies and millers, grain elevator owners, and other agribusinesses stopped trucks and rail cars for testing. Omaha-based ConAgra shut down a Kansas milling plant for weeks to clean out all of its corn bins.

A New York Times reporter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, described an inspection process at the ArcherDaniels corn processing plant there. In addition to the regular checks for quality, moisture, and weight, two inspectors grind the corn, shake the sample in water, and test it to see if contains any sign of the Cry9C protein, a signature of StarLink corn. Of 213 trucks, each filled with 950 bushels of corn, 9 were turned away for StarLink contamination. This nearly 5 percent rate far exceeds the percentage of acreage planted with the seed. Farmers and truckers point out that as little as one kernel of the corn getting in the sample can cause rejection of the entire truckload.  
 
Farmers not informed
Some farmers say they were either not notified of the marketing restrictions on the corn or of the need to maintain a 660 foot barrier around fields planted with StarLink. This not only led to cross-fertilization, but some farmers commingled their crops, contaminating a much larger percentage of their corn. To back up their point, many point to the tag on the seed bags, which reads: "You are licensed upon purchase of this product only to produce forage or grain for food, feed or grain processing."

StarLink offered its seed at a discount to farmers. Several here report that Iowa's Garst Seed Company, which sold some 90 percent of the seed in the state, sold StarLink for around $60 a bag, as opposed to the $100 per bag for other varieties. Farmers also agreed to purchase herbicide designed to be used with the corn.

Several law firms have joined two class action suits against Aventis for damages on behalf of farmers. One claims negligence by Aventis for failing to adequately warn of required safety precautions with the crop, complaining that "the confidence in the integrity and safety of America's corn supply has evaporated in export markets, particularly Japan, South Korea, and Europe."

Aventis claims it will cover all industry costs, whether to farmers, elevators, or food processors. The company has guaranteed farmers a 25-cent premium on any bushel of StarLink corn.  
 
9 million bushels unaccounted for
Aventis says it received less than $1 million in licensing fees for its part in producing StarLink. An Aventis vice president now estimates the company's costs at several hundred million dollars. The company claims it either tracked down or recovered corn planted on some 90 percent of the 350,000 acres planted last year, leaving at least 9 million bushels unaccounted for. And it has no track on the smaller 1998 and 1999 harvests nor on neighboring crop lands that may have been contaminated.

To limit their damages, the company asked the EPA to approve StarLink for human consumption for 4 years until crops already harvested work their way through the food chain. In response to this request, a 15-member panel recommended the EPA investigate reports of illnesses due to StarLink and said that there is a "low probability" of allergic reactions because of the small amount of the corn mixed in the total supply.

Gene Grabowski, of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, said the report should encourage the government to recognize "the low risk to public health" from the corn and to "come to an expeditious and appropriate resolution of this matter so that consumers can once again be reassured that the food supply is safe."

Dr. Jane Rissler, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the Des Moines Register the EPA "should take no action but refer the report to the Food and Drug Administration, which is the appropriate agency for dealing with an illegal contaminant in the food supply."  
 
 
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