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DECEMBER 6, 2000

A panel of scientists who advise the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday said more study is needed on a genetically-modified corn product which has raised questions of the safety of the biotech food industry.

The EPA's Scientific Advisory Panel said there is a likelihood that the product, known as StarLink, can cause allergic reactions in some humans. But they said the probability of consumers developing such a response to it is low because so little of the product is present in the food supply.

Their views reflect a preliminary assessment the EPA made on the product in November. Then, the EPA estimated that just 0.14 percent of the corn harvested this year contains the product, which has not been approved for consumption by humans.

Nonetheless, the EPA is considering a temporary approval of the product for human use. The product's maker, Aventis CropScience, has proposed a four-year plan to clear out the product from the food supply.

Aventis withdrew StarLink from the market after consumer groups discovered it in several brands of corn products. Farmers and grain elevators bought StarLink and mixed it in with traditionally-raised corn, causing its appearance in taco shells and other corn products, all of which were recalled by their manufacturers.

Although Aventis has agreed to buy back any crops containing StarLink or grown near it, farmers say they were never warned the product wasn't approved for human use.

The panel on Tuesday also said the EPA should find out if StarLink was the cause of allergic reactions recently reported by consumers. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control investigated over 30 reports, but it their exact cause is not known.

Seeking to ensure consumer confidence, the Department of Agriculture is seeking public comment on their role in regulating the biotech industry. For more information on the USDA's proposed rules, visit www.usda.gov/gipsa/biotech/anpr/anpr.htm.

Related Stories:
USDA seeks to expand biotech role (Enviro 11/30)
Corn compensation sought (The Medicine Wheel 11/16)
EPA: Risk of eating corn product is low (The Medicine Wheel 11/14)
Walmart, Wendys affected by corn recall (The Medicine Wheel 11/3)
FDA to decide on modified corn (The Medicine Wheel 10/31)
Most unapproved corn found (The Medicine Wheel 10/27)
FDA to ban animal antibiotics (The Medicine Wheel 10/27)
Bio-corn found in more products (The Medicine Wheel 10/26)
Stores remove taco shells (The Medicine Wheel 10/26)
Bio-corn found in supply (The Medicine Wheel 10/25)
Corn causes shutdown (The Medicine Wheel 10/23)
More corn products tested (The Medicine Wheel 10/19)
Genetically altered salmon up for approval (The Medicine Wheel 10/17)
Bio-corn to be removed from market (The Medicine Wheel 10/13)
Safeway taco shells recalled (The Medicine Wheel 10/12)

Relevant Links:
The Scientific Advisory Panel -www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap
Agricultural Biotechnology, USDA - www.usda.gov/agencies/biotech/index.html
Office of Pesticides, EPA - www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides
StarLink - www.us.cropscience.aventis.com/AventisUS/
CropScience/stage/html/starlinkcorn.htm
Aventis CropScience - www2.aventis.com/cropsc/cro_main.htm
Bioengineered foods, The FDA - www.fda.gov/oc/biotech/default.htm