Copyright Prairie Grains Magazine
February 2001

Foresight for Successful Cropping Systems:

“The StarLink Incident” – Defining Moment for Biotech?

By Zachary Fore, U of M Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, forex002@tc.umn.edu

When the book “History of Biotechnology” is written someday, it’s quite possible that “The StarLink Incident” in the year 2000 will be summarized as a defining moment in the evolution of this issue.

A brief rundown on StarLink to refresh your memory on the subject. It was reported last September that tests conducted on 23 grocery store products containing corn revealed that one of those products contained genetically modified material from a hybrid containing a Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene which produces a protein not approved for direct human consumption.  The Bt protein called Cry9C is produced in corn hybrids sold by Aventis CropScience under the name StarLink.  The protein was originally detected in Taco Bell brand taco shells, and since has turned up in numerous other brands of taco shells and other corn products.

StarLink corn is approved for livestock consumption, however, it is the only genetically modified seed sold in the U.S. not approved for human consumption. Although serious health effects are not expected, the Cry9C protein reportedly does not break down quickly in the human digestive system and therefore might trigger allergic reactions.

The tests were conducted through the group ‘Friends of the Earth’ on behalf of the coalition, ‘Genetically Engineered Food Alert.’ The shells contained about 1% StarLink corn.  Since the initial discovery, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has recalled more than 300 different tortillas, taco shells, tostadas, and corn chip products encompassing dozens of brands that appear to contain StarLink corn.

StarLink was grown on approximately 350,000 acres in 2000 by about 3,000 growers. This represents about one half of one percent of last year’s corn crop. Much of the approximately 50 million bushels of StarLink corn produced in 2000 was not segregated to ensure use only for livestock.  Isolating Starlink from the food chain, paying premiums to farmers and grain handlers, and other related expenses are expected to cost Aventis more than $100 million, and may result in a shakeup of the company itself.

This event resulted in many food companies checking their products to determine if any StarLink corn may be present. International customers of U.S. corn also became concerned, with many requiring that testing be done to ensure no StarLink corn is present in corn they purchase.

The StarLink controversy sheds some light on where the future of agriculture may be headed. The number of grain products possessing specific traits will greatly expand in the coming years. Some of these traits will be products of biotechnology and others will result from conventional breeding and selection.  In almost all cases, grain products possessing specific traits will need to be segregated from other grains, and will need to meet other criteria for handling and purity. In the simplest cases, farmers will need to plant, harvest, and store grains separately, then have them tested to meet certain purity standards. In the most complex cases, every step in the process from seed selection to final delivery will need to be documented and monitored.  The product will be certified, tested, and have a paper trail that allows traceability back to its origin.

Farmers can look at these developments in two ways:  1) more hassles, or 2)opportunity. Customers world wide are getting more and more concerned about their food:  What is in it?  Where did it come from? How was it produced? The StarLink controversy is a world wide issue.  In addition to StarLink, Europeans are going through another mad cow disease scare because of products contained in animal feeds.

These events are harbingers of things to come. Biotechnology and other methods will create more and more differentiated products. Consumers will become more and more insistent in their demands to know how their food was produced, handled, and processed.

The “Starlink Incident” will result in agricultural products with special attributes to be managed, handled, distributed, and marketed better—to the benefit of all in the food chain, including farmers. It is critical that farmers view these developments as opportunities, not hassles. Farmers and food companies willing to respond by customizing what they produce and how they produce it for their customers will benefit.