American exports of corn to Japan fell sharply last fall after a Japanese consumer group complained in October that StarLink had been detected in snack foods and animal feed there. The growers association has warned farmers not to buy seed that has not been certified StarLink-free. Farmers also are advised to take steps to avoid contaminating their corn crops with stray StarLink plants that will sprout this spring from grain left in fields from last fall's harvest. Food processors have been checking corn for StarLink under Food and Drug Administration guidelines that are similar to USDA's testing standards for seed. The American Seed Trade Association was surveying its member companies to find out how much StarLink-contaminated seed they have found, said Angela Dansby, an association spokeswoman.
Tainted seed is supposed to be destroyed.
The creator of StarLink, Aventis CropScience, has withdrawn the corn from the market but insists it is safe for people. Aventis has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to approve the corn temporarily for food use to prevent further disruptions in grain handling. The EPA has not decided whether to do that, pending an investigation of complaints of people who think they may have had allergic reactions to the corn. A protein in StarLink, Cry9c, breaks down slowly in the digestive system, a sign that it could produce allergic reactions.