The StarLink Case: Issues for the Future

The discovery of StarLink corn in the human food supply was a seminal event in the evolving response of the American public to agricultural biotechnology. StarLink, a type of bioengineered corn that produces its own pesticide and was approved only for use in animal feed, ended up in many products, causing a massive recall of tortillas, corn chips and other corn-based products just over a year ago.

This event and its aftermath received extensive publicity and heightened public awareness of the presence of biotechnology-derived foods in the American food supply.