Title:
Food Makers See Crunch Time Against New Maize for
Fuel
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
See text below
Text:
Food companies say a new kind of maize could take
the crunch out of corn chips and other popular
foods. The big Swiss company Syngenta genetically
engineered the maize to contain an enzyme called
alpha amylase. The company says this enzyme will
help the crop produce more ethanol, a renewable
fuel, while using less water and energy. Syngenta
official Jack Bernens says the enzyme breaks the
starch down into sugar which then is fermented into
ethanol. A two thousand seven law requires gasoline
in the United States to contain renewable fuels.
About forty percent of America's corn crop is being
used this year to make ethanol. The Department of
Agriculture has approved the genetically modified
maize without restrictions. But five major groups in
the food industry say they are concerned that the
new maize could enter the food supply. In a joint
statement they say the enzyme that breaks down
starch could harm the taste of their products. For
example, they say it might soften cereals and cause
corn chips to lose their satisfying crunch. Mary
Waters heads one of those food groups, the North
American Millers' Association. She says even a small
amount of the maize could cause problems if it mixes
with corn used to make food. Snack foods made with
corn are a six-billion-dollar industry in the United
States.In two thousand one, genetically modified
corn made by Syngenta was found in the food supply
chain without approval. Syngenta paid a fine to the
government.Jim McCarthy, president of the Snack Food
Association, says the incident caused no health
problems. But he says it did cause major disruptions
in the availability of food-grade corn. So his group
is urging Syngenta to reconsider their plan.
Syngenta says it will take measures to keep the new
maize out of the food supply. Jack Bernens says the
company will sell seeds only to farmers who take
their crops to nearby ethanol processing plants. He
says the company will not sell seed in areas where
food makers get their maize. Mr. Bernens says the
company has done a lot of research and found that
the risk from a few kernels is overstated. The food
industry groups object to conditions placed on
companies that want to study that research. Syngenta
says it has trade secrets to protect. For VOA
Special English, I'm Carolyn Presutti.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
