October 2, 2000

Aventis has agreed to purchase the 2000 crop of Starlink corn, a genetically engineered product recently found in processed foods, a use for which it has not been approved. USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency had urged Aventis to make the move in the belief it will give consumers confidence in the integrity of the food supply.

Starlink corn is approved only for animal feed. The latest action immediately prevents Starlink corn from being used in any food manufacturing and guarantees that farmers who planted Starlink corn are reimbursed for this year's crop.

The agreement will be implemented by USDA and EPA. Aventis, the manufacturer of Starlink corn, immediately will contact farmers with instructions on how to handle the 2000 Starlink crop. USDA initially will purchase the corn from the farmers, handle the corn to ensure that it does not enter the food supply, and then Aventis will reimburse USDA for the cost.

REUTERS reports about 45 million bushels of a gene-spliced corn variety originated by Europe's Aventis and likely will total at least $68 million, according to industry experts. Starlink was grown on about 315,000 acres this year, equal roughly to 1% of the total corn crop.

The article also notes Kraft Foods Inc., a unit of Philip Morris Cos. Inc., last week recalled taco shells it manufactured for grocery stores under the Taco Bell name after its tests confirmed the presence of the Starlink corn variety in some packages of taco shells.

Starlink is one of several varieties of genetically modified or Bt corn engineered to resist pests, but is the only one barred from human food. Government regulators permit the corn only for animal feed because of concerns that some people might be allergic to it.

The contamination was discovered by an environmental group, Friends of the Earth, which has campaigned for safety testing and labels on all gene-altered foods.