Biotech industry deserves mistrust after corn release

The biotechnology industry has taken a healthy kernel of public trust in this country and ground it into fine flour.

At the most recent count, some 300 consumer products had been contaminated with a type of genetically modified corn not approved for humans. It is appalling that the seed producer, Aventis CropScience, failed to ensure that the corn would be confined to animal use, as intended.

The rest of the industry can only thank its lucky stars that there has been no public panic. Indeed, the odds appear to be on the side of the corn being safe. It is encouraging that there has been no showing of any human health problems from the release of StarLink biotech corn into food products. Experts, however, still have some reason to fear that the corn could cause allergic reactions in humans. That unresolved question is why StarLink was only supposed to be grown as animal feed.

The government was clearly too trusting when it approved the release of corn that it didn’t consider proven safe for humans. Three agencies all went along with the goofy scheme. The Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture all approved StarLink. And other biotech companies apparently thought that was fine.

Oops. Farmers have reportedly said they were never even told that the StarLink corn wasn’t supposed to be used by humans. That should be clear evidence to regulators that they can never again approve release of seed for a crop that isn’t considered safe for humans. Trust was given— and it has been lost.

Unfortunately, the failure extends beyond U.S. borders. Japan recently found the corn in an imported snack product. On Monday, the Friends of the Earth, a respected environmental group, reported finding the corn in food in Denmark and Britain.

European and Japanese consumers have long held serious fears about genetically modified plants. The concerns appear to have little scientific basis, but the failure to act within the rules for StarLink here will understandably exacerbate the worries.

If controlled responsibly, genetic engineering of plants can help feed people and protect the environment. The release of StarLink into food all over the U.S. underlines the need for controls. Industry has brought a harsher future upon itself.

Talk to us

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, June 8

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Phlebotomist Heather Evans preps JaNeen Aagaard a donation at Bloodworks NW Friday afternoon in Everett at July 3o, 2021.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Editorial: Get back in (or start) your habit of giving blood

The pandemic’s effects and fewer younger donors too often leave blood supplies dangerously low.

Comment: After LIV-PGA merger, Saudis are just getting started

The money from their wealth fund may prove irresistible to other sports organizations in the U.S.

Comment: Feuding Russian forces point to problems for Putin

Infighting among Russia units, mercenaries and irregulars raises doubts amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Comment: We should worry more about AI’s creators than AI itself

Their warnings of an ‘extinction threat’ are part marketing tool and part effort to avoid scrutiny.

Comment: Expect battles as Oklahoma lowers church-state wall

State funding of a Catholic school may require the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the establishment clause.

Lummi Tribal members Ellie Kinley, left, and Raynell Morris, president and vice president of the non-profit Sacred Lands Conservancy known as Sacred Sea, lead a prayer for the repatriation of southern resident orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut — who has lived and performed at the Miami Seaquarium for over 50 years — to her home waters of the Salish Sea at a gathering Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the sacred site of Cherry Point in Whatcom County, Wash.

The Bellingham Herald
Editorial: What it will require to bring Tokitae home

Bringing home the last captive orca requires expanded efforts to restore the killer whales’ habitat.

A map of the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Set your muscle memory for work zone speed cameras

Starting next summer, not slowing down in highway work zones can result in a $500 fine.

File - A teenager holds her phone as she sits for a portrait near her home in Illinois, on Friday, March 24, 2023. The U.S. Surgeon General is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take "immediate action to protect kids now." (AP Photo Erin Hooley, File)
Editorial: Warning label on social media not enough for kids

The U.S. surgeon general has outlined tasks for parents, officials and social media companies.

Most Read