March 17, 2010

Locally grown corn could have built-in pesticide

Did you know that the folks at Hannaford supermarkets are apparently willing to let you eat pesticide?

The Maine Board of Pesticide Control has recently approved Bt sweet corn for Maine growers. This means that when Hannaford purchases local sweet corn, it may be Bt sweet corn.

Bt sweet corn is a genetically modified crop that has some of the gene structure of the bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria spliced into the gene structure of the corn. Bt is a pesticide, and that means when you eat Bt sweet corn, you are ingesting the pesticide.

This also points out that the Maine Board of Pesticide Control doesn\'t seem to care if you eat this insecticide. There are no long-term studies that show the effects of human consumption of this pesticide. Do you want to be a guinea pig?

I contacted Hannaford, asking if they would be labeling the Bt sweet corn as such so that I could make an informed choice about what I would like to have on my dinner table. I received a form letter indicating receipt of my e-mail, but no answer. Subsequent requests for an answer have produced nothing from them.

Is this the way a \"certified organic supermarket\" should act? Is it even legal for them to sell an unlabeled pesticide dressed up as food? Be mindful of what you eat!

Ken Horn

Hermon

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…