Genetically engineered corn affects Cheetos supply

DALLAS (AP) _ Cheetos lovers, prepare for a crunch. <br><br>Supplies of the cheese-flavored snack are down by as much as 10 percent as maker Frito-Lay Inc. attempts to keep genetically engineered corn

Saturday, December 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DALLAS (AP) _ Cheetos lovers, prepare for a crunch.

Supplies of the cheese-flavored snack are down by as much as 10 percent as maker Frito-Lay Inc. attempts to keep genetically engineered corn from the recipe.

``We've required all cornmeal to meet all tests, and that's slowed things down,'' company spokeswoman Lynn Markley said.

Frito-Lay is running thousands of tests a month to make sure its supplies don't contain the StarLink variety of bio-engineered corn. The Cheetos supply problem is expected to be fixed in two weeks, company officials said.

StarLink, which was genetically modified to produce its own pesticide, is not approved for human consumption because of unresolved questions about its potential to cause allergic reactions.

Discovery of StarLink in the food supply has forced nationwide recalls of taco shells and forced the shutdown of processing plants.