Chemical Market Reporter - 09-Oct-00 

USDA to Recall StarLink Bt Corn 

The Department of Agriculture will buy all the bushels of a biotech corn
variety produced from seeds sold by Aventis SA, and the company will
reimburse the government for its costs.

The Bt corn variety, sold to farmers under the trade name StarLink, is not
approved for use in human food, but it was recently discovered in Taco Bell
taco shells sold in grocery stores.

"The USDA will initially purchase the corn from farmers, handle the corn to
ensure that it does not enter the food supply, and then Aventis will
reimburse USDA for the cost," USDA says in a statement issued jointly with
Environmental Protection Agency. USDA, EPA and the Food and Drug
Administration share responsibility for regulating bio-tech foods.

The government says Aventis will immediately contact US farmers who planted
roughly 315,000 acres of StarLink corn. Those farmers will be reimbursed
for this year's crop. The government expects its action to prevent any more
of the corn from being used in foods.

"These measures provide consumers with additional confidence in the
integrity of the food supply by implementing a rigorous purchase and
tracking program," USDA says.

Late last month, Kraft Foods recalled taco shells it made under the Taco
Bell name after tests confirmed the presence of StarLink corn.