Corn Worries Shut Cereal Plant

The nation's No. 1 cereal maker confirmed that it has shut down production at one of its plants because its suppliers can't guarantee that its corn is free of Starlink, a genetically-engineered corn not approved for humans.

Sources tell CBS News that the Kellogg Co., the maker of Frosted Flakes and Special K cereals and other products, had shut down a plant in Memphis, Tenn., CBS News Correspondent Stephanie Lambidakis reports.

Calling the stoppage a precautionary step, a Kellogg's spokesman says officials hope the plant will be operational next week. What began as a recall of taco shells has now mushroomed.

The consumer group that exposed Starlink applauds the shutdown.

"Kellogg's is taking the cautious approach, the right approach. What we're worried about is whether the federal government is doing its job," said Larry Bohlen of Friends Of The Earth.

As the company put it, "This is not a Kellogg's-specific problem, but an industry-wide problem and a government-wide problem."

Last week the company that produces the genetically-altered corn tried to find nine million bushels that couldn't be accounted for. The Environmental Protection Agency said it couldn't pinpoint where it was, either.

"At this point, it's too early to tell exactly where and how the seed was co-mingled and to what extent," said Stephen Johnson, deputy assistant administrator at EPA.

The chief worry is that the genetically-engineered corn can trigger allergic reactions in people.

"My organization has received about 20 reports of people who think they were made ill by eating a contaminated product," Bohlen said.

Government and industry officials insist so far there's no documented risk to humans in the corn.

"We believe it's remote in a worst case, but we cannot say with 100-percent certainty that there may not be, in a certain sub-population, a certain sensitive sub-population, that there may not be a problem," Johnson said.

Aventis CropScience, which makes the corn, is trying to recover the 9 million bushels that may be headed to food companies.

The FDA is testing a variety of other corn products. Officials said StarLink has been found only in taco shells so far.

The recalls began when Kraft Foods issued a nationwide recall Sept. 22 of taco shells it sells under the Taco Bell brand name after similar tests confirmed the presence of the corn. Safeway Inc. removed taco shells from its stores Oct. 11 after learning of test results that showed they may contain the biotech corn.

Subsequently, Texas-based Mission Foods Co. voluntarily recalled all its tortillas, taco shells and snack chips made with yellow corn. A sister company, Azteca Milling, announced it was recalling all its flour made from yellow corn.

Government officials said the StarLink problems have begun to prevent exporters from fulfilling contracts with overseas companies, which often demand that products be free f engineered foods.

The White House has been in regular contact with officials from the four federal agencies involved in overseeing genetically engineered food.

An array of issues was addressed, including whether the substance is traceable, the food supply infiltration and the potential impact on exports. The administration is hoping for a meeting Monday so agency officials can brief European Union officials.

With millions of customers now wondering if the suspect corn is in their cupboards, Kellogg's says it has found no contaminated products. They hope this temporary stoppage will keep it that way.

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