Public Comment Invited on Safety Assessments of Four GM Foods

The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) today released safety assessment reports on food derived from four genetically modified commodities - canola, corn, sugar beet and cotton - for public comment.

This brings to sixteen the number of genetic modifications assessed by ANZFA, seven of which have already been approved by the Ministerial Council for sale in Australia and New Zealand.

To date, all the food commodities assessed have been found to be as safe as their conventionally produced counterparts, with no lessening of nutritional values.

ANZFA' s Chief Scientist, Dr Marion Healy, said consumers, industry and researchers have until 20 April 2001 to provide ANZFA with written submissions on the following foods that have been genetically modified for herbicide tolerance:

Glufosinate ammonium tolerant canola
Glufosinate ammonium tolerant corn
Glyphosate tolerant sugar beet
Bromoxynil tolerant cotton

Dr Healy said individuals and organisations have six weeks to examine the ANZFA safety assessment and to provide comment ' preferably evidence-based ' on the findings and their potential regulatory impact.

' In our safety assessments, we look at the allergenicity, toxicity and nutritional values of the GM foods,' Dr Healy said.

' If we have any doubt about the safety of the foods under scrutiny, we would recommend that they be banned from supermarket shelves. All the GM foods we have looked at to date have all the benefits of the conventional foods and no disadvantages.'

Dr Healy said ANZFA requires food companies to provide a comprehensive package of scientific data on each food, according to ANZFA' s specifications, which ANZFA supplements with its own knowledge and that of expert working groups and with reference to the world' s scientific literature.

' We have one of the most rigorous safety assessment processes in the world for GM foods, ' Dr Healy said.

More information: The safety assessment reports are at www.foodstandards.gov.au