Processors OK Biotech White Corn

AMES, Iowa—White corn, the variety that's milled into chips, taco shells and tortillas, has for years been free of genetic engineering; however, that is changing as processors said they would start accepting biotech product.

Millers have changed their minds about biotech corn in part because of concerns about grain quality. Corn that has insect damage is susceptible to diseases that can make the grain toxic.

“Now that Frito-Lay has approved it and some of the other food processors, I think we're going to see more biotech white corn,” said Darrel McAlexander, chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

Domestic use of white corn has been growing about 4 percent to 7 percent a year as the Latino population has grown, although white corn still represents a fraction of overall corn production, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University.