Aventis makes a genetically modified maize called StarLink. This maize contains a bacterial protein designed to make it toxic to pests. Strangely enough, this may also created health problems for human beings.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has said that this bacterial protein has the "characteristics of known allergens" and have not approved it for consumption in the USA. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control are investigating 48 reports of unexpected allergic reaction in people who have consumed maize products.
Unfortunately, for the Americans, StarLink maize has been less easy to irradicate from the food chain then they though it would have been. On 18th March, Aventis confessed that contamination is more widespread than previously thought. 11 million metric tons of maize in storage from the 1999 harvest is said to be contaminated and 1.8 million metric tons from the 2000 harvest. The bacterial protein has also been found in the seeds of other maize varieties prior to the 2001 planting season. At present the US government is spending $20 million in an effort to find and destroy these contaminated seeds, probably originally contaminated because of a failure to prevent cross-polination.
...but still being exported to other countries...
Despite the worrying facts above, US maize is still being exported in quantity to other countries. Even though StarLink was found in the food supply on 18th September, 2000, Japan has discovered repeated incidences of StarLink contaminated maize, some as recently as February 2001 and contaminated Kellogg Company food was found in the USA in March of this year.
More than 100 consumer, agricultural and environmental groups have called on US President, George Bush, to call a halt to further exports until maize products can be guarenteed free from StarLink contamination and fit for human consumption and to recall all food products, commercial grain and food aid contaminated by StarLink.
...and may be being "dumped" as food aid
Third world countries are particularly worried about the possibility that the US may use food aid as a way of dumping unwanted, contaminated maize. The US send over 2 million tons of GM food products to developing countries in the form of foreign assistance. The World Food Programme distributes another 1.5 tons of GM crops donated by the USA.
Karin Nansen, Latin American co-ordinator for the FOE International GMO programme said, "We are strongly opposed to any shipment of StarLink as food aid. It's outrageous to think that the US may be using food aid as a back-door market for
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