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New food scandal rocks the USA.
Safeway brand contains illegal GM
maize.
Less than one month after
Genetically Engineered Food Alert [1]
revealed that an illegal genetically
modified (GM) maize was present in Taco
Bell taco shells, the coalition is
calling for taco shells marketed under
the Safeway brand to be withdrawn from
sale after independent testing
confirmed that these also contain GM
maize not authorised for human
consumption [2].
On 18
th
September,
Friends of the Earth (FoE) US, which
requested analysis of Taco Bell taco
shells, broke the news that the product
contained a variety of GM maize called
StarLink which is approved in the
United States for use in animal feed
but
not
for human consumption.
The US Food and Drug Administration
acknowledged the accuracy of the
testing carried out for FoE at
Genetic-ID in Iowa. Kraft Foods, part
of the Philip Morris conglomerate,
which markets the Taco Bell brand
issued a national recall of the product
a few days later. Biotech giant
Aventis, which produces StarLink, has
agreed with the US government to buy
back all the StarLink maize grown in
the US this year, a move that is
estimated to cost the company some US$
90 – 100M.
FoE is calling for Safeway to
immediately withdraw any suspect
products from its supermarkets.
"Safeway should follow Kraft Foods and
recall the genetically contaminated
taco shells," said Larry Bohlen,
Director of Health and Environment
Programs at Friends of the Earth. "Two
contamination incidents in one month
show that the FDA is doing a miserable
job protecting the American food
supply".
Friends of the Earth Europe is
investigating possible contamination of
food products in the European Union.
"We wrote to Kraft and Philip Morris
corporate European headquarters
straight after the Taco Bell story
broke," said Gill Lacroix,
Biotechnology Coordinator at FoEE in
Brussels. "So far, neither of them have
had either the courtesy or guts to
reply but we are following that
through." Referring to the current
revision of the EU’s GMO directive
90/220/EEC, Lacroix pointed out that
the US food scandals highlight once
again the failings of the revised
directive as it now stands.
"Traceability and liability are just
not addressed in the current text," she
said, "yet these shocking examples of
illegal GMOs getting onto supermarket
shelves show how very crucial these
issues are".
More information :
Larry Bohlen, FoE US, 1-202-783.7400
x251
Gill Lacroix, FoE Europe, 32-2-542
0182
FOOTNOTES:
1.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert
founding members include: Center for
Food Safety, Friends of the Earth,
Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, National Environmental Trust,
Organic Consumers Association,
Pesticide Action Network North America,
and the State Public Interest Research
Groups.
2.StarLink maize, produced by
Aventis, is not authorised in Europe
but has been approved in the United
States for use in animal feed. The US
Environmental Protection Agency
considers it unfit for human
consumption because the genetic
modification involved (Bt-toxin Cry9C)
"exhibits some characteristics of known
allergens".
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