Thursday, 27 July 2000
GM Foods Labelling
A media briefing paper
1. Background
In August 1999, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) agreed in principle to extend the labelling provisions in Standard A18 to provide mandatory labelling of all genetically modified foods. This decision was taken so that consumers could be provided with the information necessary to make informed choices.
The Ministers emphasised that the decision to extend labelling did not concern the safety of the GM foods, which already require a demanding pre-market safety assessment by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) before they are permitted onto supermarket shelves.
ANZFSC considered a number of issues arising from the decision, including the need to give consumers information that is truthful, practical and meaningful, without unreasonable costs to industry or consumers. ANZFSC also asked for more information on trade implications, ways of regulating claims that food is free from genetic modification, and how to test and enforce the new requirements.
A cost analysis was commissioned and an Inter-Governmental Task Force established to examine and report on these issues. It had representatives from all ten jurisdictions, including New Zealand.
In his letter to the New Zealand Prime Minister and all Premiers and Chief Ministers on 4 June, the Australian Prime Minister reiterated that the labelling decision could have serious cross-portfolio ramifications and, because public health and safety was not an issue, it should be considered at Heads of Government level. All jurisdictions have been considering the matter on this basis
The ANZFSC Ministers will meet in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday 28 July 2000 to review the work of the Task Force and to decide on a labelling regime for genetically modified foods being sold in Australia and New Zealand.
2. The major issues
ANZFSC Ministers will be considering options for a labelling regime for genetically modified foods which gives consumers greater information about the content of food through extended labelling, while balancing the impacts on industry and trade which ultimately flow to the consumer in increased food costs.
This decision is being taken in the context of strong community desire for additional information.
The major issues concern exemptions to full labelling of GM foods. Among the exemptions possibly being considered by ANZFSC are:
- processing aids and additives;
- highly refined ingredients (eg sugars and oils); and
- food prepared at the point of sale.
In addition, the issue of a threshold will also be considered - that is, a level of GM ingredient in a food below which labelling will not be required. In this context, the ability to identify and quantify the GM content of a food becomes important. There is little point setting a standard which cannot be implemented or enforced.
There is no international standard for the labelling of GM foods. Because of the difficulties involved in reaching an international consensus, the Codex Alimentarius Commission is not expected to decide on a standard until mid-2003 at best.
2.1 Processing aids and additives
Processing aids are used in the processing of raw materials, foods or ingredients, but do not have any technical function in the final food. In a high proportion of cases, they are (EU) removed from the final food as part of the process. The European Union and Japan exempt them from labelling.
Food additives are substances added to foods, usually in very small quantities, to improve taste, appearance, texture, storage life and other qualities. They are exempted from GM labelling by the EU and Japan.
2.2 Highly refined ingredients
In general, highly refined ingredients such as sugars and oils have been subjected to heating and other processes which result in the elimination of genetic material and protein in the food.
They are exempt from GM labelling in Japan, but labelling is required in the EU only if new genetic material or protein can be detected and they are not otherwise exempted from labelling.
2.3 Thresholds
The European Union has a threshold of 1% to cover the accidental presence of a GM ingredient in a food. Japan exempts GM ingredients at less than 5% of total content and any ingredient which is not one of the top three ingredients in the food.
2.4 Point of sale food
Apart from the UK, no country requires the labelling of point of sale GM foods, such as that sold in restaurants. However, it is a general principle underpinning food legislation in Australia and New Zealand that customers of food businesses can request information on the content of food purchased. This is being reinforced by a provision in the draft joint Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code currently being finalised.
3. Limits of detection
For a labelling regime to be accepted by consumers as truthful, it must be verifiable. The GM content of the food claimed by the manufacturer must be able to be checked by enforcement agencies with confidence, irrespective of the laboratory in which the tests are made.
Advice from the European Union and the Australia Government Analytical Laboratory is that below 1%, standard laboratory testing methods are not reliable with significant levels of both false negative and false positives.
4. Identity preservation systems
An alternative means available to the food industry to establish whether materials contain genetically modified components is identity preservation (IP). IP systems require audited documentation to pass from producer through the various intermediate stages in the production chain to manufacturer and retailer.
This documentation should identify the presence of any genetically modified materials in the commodities or ingredients being supplied. It is common practice for the reliability of such documentation to be checked periodically by testing.
5. Implementation
As any labelling regime adopted by ANZFSC for GM foods will be solely for the information of the consumer, it is anticipated that the indication of GM content will occur within the ingredients list.
For practical reasons ( such as testing, design and reprinting of labels ) industry will not be able to change their labelling overnight. Implementation of any labelling regime for GM foods will therefore most likely become effective 12 months from gazettal of the Ministers' decision.
6. Further information
Any decision made by the ANZFSC Ministers on 28 July 2000 will be posted on the ANZFA web site at www.foodstandards.gov.au . A communiqué will be issued to the media as soon as a decision is made.
The public can obtain information on the GM foods labelling decision and on other GM matters from the Gene Technology Information Service by phone on 1800 631 276.
An explanation or clarification of any new labelling regime for GM foods is available to the media from ANZFA Public Affairs in Canberra:
Tel: 02 6271 2239 or 0411 268 525
Fax: 02 6271 2278