Sales of Genetic Corns Exposed

The irregularities of the famous food material manufacturing companies were exposed. According to the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA), they have made the materials for the starch and the corn oil for sale, using the generically modified corns produced in the U.S., which should be used only for the industrial purpose and for cattle feed.

The KFDA uncovered illegal sales of starch by the Shindongbang, the Samyang Genex, and the Incheon and Icheon plants of the Doosan CPK and requested the administrative office to impose an administrative measure on those companies, said the KFDA yesterday. Those companies have circulated starch in the market made from the corns of 140,000 t which was imported from the U.S. including the generically modified corns, `Star Link`.

According to the KFDA, those companies have processed the imported corn including the `Star Link` with the starch and the corn buds which is the material of corn oil, and have sold some of them in the market disguising it as an edible food.

The `Star Link` is the generically modified corn which has been developed in order to strengthen the tolerance from disease and harmful insects by the Aventis Co. of the U.S..

It was acknowledged only for the industrial use and the provender use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The KFDA told, that the starches of 34 t were circulated in the market and it is hard to recall them because they were already used by manufactures as the secondary products such as the baking powder. And the corn buds of 4,060 t were sold to the corn oil manufacturing companies.

An official of the KFDA said that ``the examination on the corn starch and the corn oil which have been circulated in the market could not detect the protein causing allergy. I think that it is not necessary for the general public to worry about the safety``.

Yun Sang-Ho ysh1005@donga.com