GM food scare hits US taco lovers25 September 2000
Millions of taco shells have been taken off store shelves in the US, after some were found to contain GM corn not approved for human consumption. The discovery was made during lab tests carried out for Friends of the Earth US.
Significant levels of a type of GM corn called StarLink were discovered in Taco Bell taco shells during lab tests in the US last week. StarLink, manufactured by biotech giant Aventis, has Federal approval to be grown as animal feed but cannot be used in human food because it 'exhibits some characteristics of known allergens'. The voluntary recall comes after an investigation launched last week by the US Food and Drug Administration which described StarLink in human food as 'unlawful'.
"The US is experiencing one of the dangerous side-effects of GM technology that Friends of the Earth has warned about for many years. Food contaminated with GM ingredients unlicensed for human consumption is now being withdrawn from American shelves," said Friends of the Earth Real Food Campaigner, Adrian Bebb. "No-one knows if this dangerous GM ingredient has found its way into other food items; it could be just the tip of the iceberg. This is also alarming news for British consumers because large quantities of corn are imported from the US. What steps are the Food Standards Agency taking to ensure that our food is safe from this GM contamination?"
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