February 8, 2007

New Zealand minister to reject new corn variety
 

New Zealand food safety minister Annette King has been asked to reject a type of corn due to be approved for use in the country, citing serious health implications.

The High-Lysine Corn LY038, is produced by seed giant Monsanto. The company has applied for its release in New Zealand to be used in animal feed.

The corn requires approval as feed because of the risk, considered slight by officials, of it inadvertently entering the human food supply. It is genetically modified to contain levels of the amino acid lysine at substantially higher levels than are found in other corn varieties.

The Sustainability Council of New Zealand and Canterbury University's Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety have claimed that LY038 contained extremely high concentrations of lysine (an amino acid needed by the body to make protein) and its derivatives.

When cooked, these substances might form chemicals that are strongly implicated in causing certain diseases or their symptoms, including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer, said Dr Jack Heinemann, a biochemist and geneticist at Canterbury University.

However, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) felt otherwise. The corn was tested against non-GM corn, in accordance with the international standards. The country's food safety minister Annette King said Food Standards had approved 26 GM foods but she had seen few products on shelves in Australasia whose packages stated they contained GM ingredients.