The guidelines, issued Dec. 27, call for testing 2,400 kernels in every truckload of yellow corn. Millers have typically been sampling about 800 kernels per load, said Betsy Faga of the North American Millers Association. The Agriculture Department's testing guidelines for seed companies are similar to the FDA's. Many companies already have been testing for StarLink, Shipman said. Millers are likely to continue their testing for two more years, unless EPA approves StarLink for food use, Faga said.
Government officials say the corn is unlikely to be a health risk.
However, there is so little in the food supply that consumers are unlikely to have developed sensitivities to the corn, the panel said.