FSANZ Calls for Comment on Allowing Food Made from New Line of Genetically Modified Corn
Image credit: Wouter Supardi Salari via Unsplash
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to allow the sale and use of food made from a new type of corn that was genetically modified to have herbicide tolerance and protective qualities from insect pests.
If approved, food made from the new type of GM corn—line DP915635—could be imported into Australia and New Zealand in the form of starch, grits, meal, flour, oil, and sweetener. To help consumers make informed choices, food made from the corn DP915635 would need to be labelled as “genetically modified” if there was any novel DNA or novel proteins in the final product.
The approval would not permit corn DP915635 to be grown in Australia or New Zealand. Cultivation and whole food containing viable seeds (e.g., corn cobs) would require separate regulatory assessment and approval by the Gene Technology Regulator in Australia and the Environmental Protection Authority in New Zealand.
Safety assessments are a key part of the approval process for all genetically modified foods that take into account the specific genetic modification process, potential unintended changes, the nutrient content compared to non-modified food, and any potential allergic or toxic effects in humans. FSANZ’s safety assessment found no potential public health and safety concerns with corn DP915635.
Stakeholders can submit their feedback on the call for comment page. Submissions close at 6 P.M. Canberra Time on October 20, 2023.
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