Japan consumer group says finds Starlink in food

Reuters World Report


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TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A Japanese consumer group said on
Thursday it found new traces of unapproved StarLink biotech corn
in food made from U.S. corn imports, despite government steps to
prevent it from entering the country.
The Consumers Union of Japan said in a statement that
StarLink traces were detected in one of 14 food products tested
by Genetic ID Japan, a unit of U.S.-based Genetic ID.
The group revealed last October traces of genetically
modified StarLink corn in food and animal feed, prompting Japan
to sharply cut its purchases of U.S. corn.
The governments of Japan and the United States had set up a
testing protocol late last year to prevent StarLink from being
mixed in corn exports to Japan.
However, several samples of food-use corn that had tested
negative on the U.S. side have since been found to contain
StarLink when tested by Japan. The government has said each time
that it would make sure the batch does not get exported.
Japan imports 12 million tonnes of corn for animal feed use
each year and another four million tonnes for food use, mostly
from the United States. StarLink is not approved for either food
or animal feed in Japan.
StarLink, made by Franco-German life science firm Aventis SA
(AVEP.PA), has also not been approved by U.S. regulators for
human consumption due to concerns about potential allergic
reactions.

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